The work of Anthim the Iberian (Antim Ivireanul) has had a great value and an important role in Georgian-Romanian relations for centuries. His work is a link, in terms of cultural and religious development of the two Orthodox countries.
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It is notable that the canonization of the representative of another country as a saint by the Romanian Church testifies to the great appreciation of his work, as well as the respect for the country where he was born. The article shows how Anthim the Iberian made himself to be remembered in the history of other nations. It also shows what kind of positive impact his work has had on Georgian-Romanian relations.
Trifu Andrei Marius
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| Tetraevangel printed in 1693. Preserved in the National History Museum of Romania |
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| Mithra, XVIII century. Preserved in The National History Museum of Romania |
Romanian ecclesiastical and political figure, educator, printer, translator, theologian, philosopher, lawyer, poet, sculptor, painter, calligrapher, preacher, Metropolitan of Wallachia Anthim the Iberian is distinguished by his tragic life. The person who endured captivity and ended his life as a martyr. He was born in Samtskhe-Javakheti. Biographical information of his date of birth (the most common variation of his date of birth is 1650) and the surname is very obscure. The birth of Anthim the Iberian coincided with the most difficult period for Georgia, when the country was a battlefield between Turkey and Persia. The Turks kidnapped him in 1666. He was sold at the slave market. Anthim was rescued by the Patriarch of Jerusalem Nectarios in Istanbul. Nectarios was soon replaced by Dositheus and under his care he received a good education. He learnt several European and Oriental languages.
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| Georgian Gospel book Tbilisi, 1709 (copy) Preserved in the monastery museum of Anthim the Iberian |
At the end of the 17th century, Vlachs had a great prosperity. In order
to develop a publishing business in Romania, the chief of Vlachs, Konstantin
Brankoveanu, asked the patriarch to send him an expert in printing. The
patriarch sent Anthim for this mission. He devoted a lot to the development of
Romanian national culture. In January 1708, Constantin Brankoveanu was
appointed as Metropolitan of Hungary and Wallachia. He did his
best for the independence of the Romanian state and church. Later, due to his
anti-ottoman orientation, the chief Mavrocordat of Romania sentenced him to
life in exile on Mount Sinai at the monastery of St. Catherine. The Janissaries
brutally killed him on their way to Mount Sinai and threw his body into the
river. The Romanian Church canonized Anthim the Iberian in 1992.
During his twenty-six years of life in
Romania, St. Anthim established several printing presses in Bucharest, Snagov
Monastery, Rimnik and Targoviste. Under his leadership, books were published in
Romanian, Greek, Slavic, and Arabic languages. Before the arrival of Anthim in
Romania, Romanian literature and book printing had a history of about 150-200
years. Anthim took printing to a new level. His name is associated with the
establishment of the priesthood in Romanian language, which was previously
practiced in Slavic and Greek. In addition to that, he established an Arabic
printing house in Aleppo and played a major role in creating the first Georgian
printing house in 1709 in Tbilisi. He sent his Vlach disciple Mikhail
Ishtvanovich to Georgia. The printing house was established in 1708-1709 in Tbilisi. The
"Gospel" was first printed in this printing house. King Vakhtang IV
of Kartli sent a copy of the "Gospel" to St. Anthim in Romania,
who put it in a gold cover and presented it to the ruler of Wallachia,
Constantin Brancoveanu.
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| Seventeenth-century orthodox literature preserved in the Anthim the Iberian Monastery Museum |
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| Seventeenth-century orthodox literature preserved in the Anthim the Iberian Monastery Museum |
Thus, the whole life of St. Anthim the Iberian is an example of how much a person can do not only for his nation, but also for other nations as well. He has made a great contribution to the establishment of liturgical and classical-literary languages in the Romanian language; Also contributed to the development of Vlach culture and education. The work of St. Anthim had a positive impact on the development of Georgian-Romanian relations. The life and the activities of him represents the connection between different countries and their cultures, also the interlinked events connected with them.
During the project, citizens of the host country, Romania, constantly mention that there are volunteers, including from Georgia, a country where the saint Anthim the Iberian was born and has had the greatest positive impact on the development of the Romanian Orthodox Church.
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| Volunteers for project Solidarity through museum education from Georgia and Spain |
Bibliography
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