HISTORY
The
town of Alba Iulia has a millennial history. In the first half
of the second century, the ancient sources mention the tribe of the
Apoulons and king Rubobostes. Ptolemeu, in his work "Geographia"
also mentions Apulon besides the fourty important towns of Dacia situated
in the middle of Transylvania. The town of Alba Iulia was called "Apulum"
in Roman Times. It was the most important military, economic, social,
cultural and political centre of the imperial province of Dacia.
At the beginning of the Middle Ages, the town was called "Bãlgrad"
and became the main centre of Transylvania. On November 1-st 1599,
after the victory at Selimbãr, prince Michael the Brave made
his triumphal entrance in this town. After the union of Moldavia with
the other two Romanian principalities in May 1600, the great prince
entitled himself : "By God's Mercy, I, Michael, entitle myself
prince and ruler of Wallachia, Transylvania and Moldavia"
- achieving for the first time, the Romanian's most cherished ideal
- the union of the three Romanian principalities under one single
political rule. The presence of the great prince had already been
felt at Alba Iulia a few years before: in 1597, he had a new metropolitan
cathedral built there within the precinct of the old Metropolitanate,
in the vicinity of the walls of the fortress which, for more than
a century, was an important centre of Romanian religion and culture
in Transylvania.
The Metropolitanate of Transylvania became, as our great historian
Nicolae Iorga put it, "the most lasting and useful establishment
of our nation from beyond the mountains" and had real spiritual
fathers and men of culture such as: Teoctist (1606-1623), Dosoftei,
Ghenadie II, Saint Iorest, Simion Stefan, Saint Sava Brancovici, Ghenadie
III, Daniil, Iosif Budai, Ioasaf, Sava III, Varlaam, Teofil, Atanasie)
and others.
The printings in the Romanian language made by the scolars of the
Metropolitan seat of Bãlgrad had an important contribution
such as: "The Gospel "(1641), "The Psalms"
(1651), "Bucoavna" (1699 - the first primer printed
in the Romanian language. However the most famous publication is "The
New Testament of Bãlgrad" (1648) which was printed
with the initiative of the Metropolitan Simion Stefan. The ancient
metropolitan institution was later overthrown by Hapsburgs, who also
destroyed its cathedral in 1714. Some remainders of the old cathedral
were used to build a new church in the part of the city known as Maieri
(near the railway station).
This little church was built on the site of the ancient Metropolitan
Cathedral and it was hallowed in 1992. It is made of wood in a maramuresan
style.
In
this holy place, "old but young"- the Memorial Church
tries to keep awake the conscience of community in love and communion.
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