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The Recollections of Patriarch Justinian of Romania: an intriguing document

2012; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 12; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/1474225x.2012.718237

1747-0234

Christine Hall,

Religious Tourism and Spaces

The recently published Amintiri (Recollections) of Patriarch Justinian Marina (1902–77) make a fascinating addition to the study of the Romanian Orthodox Church in the communist period, set against the pre-communist historical and political background. Their author was a priest in Oltenia from 1924, Assistant Bishop to the Metropolitan of Moldavia, 1945, Metropolitan of Moldavia, 1947, and Patriarch of Romania, 1948 to 1977. This review article first examines the unusual way in which the Amintiri were produced, and the use of sources in current Romanian historiography, as described and evaluated in their introductory study by the editors, Professor Remus Rus, Emeritus Professor of the Justinian Marina Orthodox Faculty of Theology, University of Bucharest, and Dorin-Demostene Iancu, doctorand at the Nicolae Iorga Historical Institute and librarian at the Holy Synod Library, Bucharest. It then focuses on the historico-political context in which Patriarch Justinian produced his recollections, and on his ‘inheritance’ from his predecessors, Patriarch Miron Cristea (1868–1939) and Patriarch Nicodim Munteanu (1864–1948). The precise purpose of the Amintiri remains somewhat elusive, though possibilities may be deduced from the text and from the contemporary historical context. Finally, three major themes addressed by Patriarch Justinian are considered – the socio-political concerns of his work, the question of his relations with Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej and other communist leaders, and his visits to Moscow in 1946 and 1948.