Ο Άγιος Νεομάρτυρας Κωνσταντίνου Βασσαράβα Brancoveanu, Ηγεμόνας της Βλαχίας (1688-1714) και η Ορθόδοξη Ανατολή
Creators: name: Βοϊτσέσκου, Μιχαήλ (Voicescu Mihail) Constantin
Publisher: name: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Year: 2016
Subjects: Brancoveanu
Ηγεμόνας της Βλαχίας
Μάρτυρας
Prince of Vlachia
Martyr

description: Δια την παρούσα εργασία, με ταπείνωση θα ήθελα να μετάσχω στην τριακοστή επέτειο του μαρτυρίου του πε-φωτισμένου Αγίου Ηγεμόνα Κωνσταντίνου Μπρανκο-βεάνου (1688-1714), μαζί με τους τέσσερις υιούς του: Κωνσταντίνο, Στέφανο, Ράδο, Ματθαίο και το σύμβουλό του Γιαννάκη Βακαρέσκου. Αυτοί αντιστέκονταν με κουράγιο έως το τέλος της ζωής τους στηρίζοντας την Ορθόδοξη Πίστη (Κωνσταντινούπολη 15 Αυγούστου 1714). Ως Ηγέτης της Βλαχίας για 26 χρόνια, ο Brancoveanu, μέσω της εξαιρετικής του διπλωματίας σε μια δύσκολη πολιτική και στρατιωτική περίοδο κατάφερε να διατηρήσει πολύ καλές σχέσεις με τα άλλα κράτη. Έτσι, πέτυχε την Αυτονομία της Βλαχίας και την μετέτρεψε συγχρόνως σε Ευρωπαϊκό Κέντρο της Πολιτικής, της Διπλωματίας και της Θρησκείας. Από πολιτιστική άποψη κατά την ηγεσία του άνθισε η Τυπογραφία σε συνεργασία με πολλούς Έλληνες λόγιους και διασκορπίστηκε η ορθόδοξη κουλτούρα σε όλη την Ορθόδοξη Τουρκοκρατούμενη Ανατολή. Το 1694 ίδρυσε την Αυθεντική Ακαδημία του Βουκουρεστίου, από την οποία δημιουργήθηκε μετέπειτα το σύγχρονο Πανεπιστήμιο του Βουκουρεστίου. Επίσης ο άγιος Βοϊβόδας, ηγεμόνας της Βλαχίας, έμεινε στη μνήμη της Εκκλησίας και του λαού ως μεγάλος ιδρυτής μοναστηριών και εκκλησιών καθώς και του ρυθμού που φέρει το όνομά του, Brancovenesc style. Η Ρουμανική Εκκλησία τον κήρυξε Άγιο στις 20 Ιουνίου του 1922 και γιορτάζει στις 16 Αυγούστου κάθε έτους.
description: By elaborating this monographic work, I wish to humbly contribute to the tricentennial anniversary from the martyrdom of enlightened Holy Martyr Voi-vode Constantin Brâncoveanu (1688-1714), together whith his four sons: Con-stantin, Ştefan, Radu, Matei and his counselor, treasurer Ianake Văcărescu. They stood firm in their Orthodox faith untill the last moment of their earthy life, in Constantinopolis (today Istambul), on 15 august 1718. I thought of this work as a natural duty of presenting this huge persona-lity not only of Roumanian history, but also, being a representative exponent of the greek and roumanian relations and inter-Orthodox links in general. n this work made under Mr. Michael Tritos’ supervision, I have dwelt first with a general presentation of Wallahia’s economical, political, social and cultural conditions on the 17th century in which Prince Constantin Brancoveanu’s education and spiritual growing took place. As orphan of his father, he grew in a byzantine atmosphere, being educated by his influent uncles – brothers of his mo-ther, - from the old family Kantakouzino: Serban - further Voivod , “spatar” Mi-chael, and especially the “stolnic”(seneschal) Constantin, one of the most erudite men of the Principate, who had been instructed in famous universities as Padoua and Venice. He will be the real artisan of Wallahia’s external politics in the last decades of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th . In this work made under Mr. Michael Tritos’ supervision, I have dwelt first with a general presentation of Wallahia’s economical, political, social and cultural conditions on the 17th century in which Prince Constantin Brancoveanu’s education and spiritual growing took place. As orphan of his father, he grew in a byzantine atmosphere, being educated by his influent uncles – brothers of his mo-ther, - from the old family Kantakouzino: Serban - further Voivod , “spatar” Mi-chael, and especially the “stolnic”(seneschal) Constantin, one of the most erudite men of the Principate, who had been instructed in famous universities as Padoua and Venice. He will be the real artisan of Wallahia’s external politics in the last decades of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th . In Europe, the last of 17th century was registering a crucial return of history. The siege of Wien (1683) in which the turks where defeated marked the beginning of decline of the Ottoman Empire. After the “peace of Karlowits” in 1699 the Habsbourgs, who were rulling then Austrian Empire, extended their authority till Croatia, Serbia and the Principate of Transylvania. Also in East Europe Russia rulled by tsar Peter the Great was increasing considerably its power against the Turks and Swedisch. As the ruler of Wallachia (Ţara Românească) for 26 years, by a distin-guished diplomacy, during a very difficult political and military period, Prince Constantin Basarab Brâncoveanu manage to maintain good relations with all the other states, having as purpouse that his country to be out of robberies and devas-tations of strange armies in case of war. So, he succeded in retaining the authono-my of Wallachia and evan in transforming it into an European centre of politics, diplomacy and religion. “The byzantino-romanian” voivode, (as Professor Karathanasis cara-chterized him) was also a great patron of art and culture. Under his reign, many Romanian, Greek, Slavonic, Arabic, Turkish, and Georgian texts were printed in the five printing presses which were functioning in the country (Bucharest, Râm-nic, Snagov monastery, Târgovişte and Buzău) . In this great work the Romanian voivode had the blessed collaboration of Saint metropolitan Anthim the Iberian (+1716), and of other greek erudite professors and clergy men, hosted in his courtyard, as great Patriarch Dositheos of Jerusalem (+1707), his nephew and successor Hrisanthos Notaras(+1731), and others. Prince Brâncoveanu became the most important supporter of the Christian Orthodox faith from everywhere. His gifts enjoyed the Orthodox people in the South of the River Danube and bestowed over the monasteries of Mount Athos or over the Eastrn Patriarchates of Constantinople, Jerusalem, Antioch and Alexandria till distant Georgia. Everywhere the name of Constantine Bassaraba Brâncoveanu was mentioned as protector and patron of the Orthodox culture and theology. In 1694 he founded the “Princely Academy” of Bucharest in the monastery of Saint Sava. The Academy’s language of study was Greek, the universal lan-guage of culture in the Eastern Orthodox world. For the most part, the professors were also Greek erudite from The Great School of Nation (the”Academy of Fa-nar”) in Constantinople as Sevastos Kymenitis, Markos Porfiropoulos, Georgios Hrisogon, Ioannis Kariofilis and others. There were also some Greek professors who had studied in West universities as Padoua and Venice as the ”iatrofiloso-phers” Ioannis Ierotheos Komninos, Jakob Pylarinos, the priests Georgios Maiota and Ioannis Avramios. Some Italians as Anton Maria del Chiaro, the Prince’s secretary, accomplished the cosmopolite cultural atmosphere, and also from it, there were not absent the Romanians intellectuals as stolnic Constantin Kantakou-zino, the brothers Radu and Şerban Greceanu, Radu Popescu, the old metropoli-tan Theodosius (+1708), Mitrofan and Damaskin (Huşi and Buzău) and most of all the metropolitan Saint Anthim the Iberian,(1708-1716), “the most erudite me-tropolitan of Ungrovlahia in all times”. He is the founder of Romanian liturgical language, and by his collaboration, under Brâncoveanu’s reign, 79 eclesiastic and laic books were printed. Another aspect of Prince Brâncoveanu’s care for the Orthodox Church con- sist into the support of the faith who joined the huge theological effort made by the great Patriarch Dositheos of Jerusalem faced with the Roman-Catholic and Protestant propaganda. Connoisseur of the history of the Transylvanian Roma-nians divided at the end of the 17th century by the Catholic propaganda, Brânco-veanu helped them as the defender of the Orthodox faith. His political actions have really provided a real support to the Romanian Orthodox inhabitants of Transylvania to which he added the material aid for the Orthodox Metropoli-tanate. As we have already noticed, the Romanian Voivode supported faith and the ecclesiastical and laic culture of his time exceeding by far the boundaries of Wallachia(Ţara Românească). He supported all Orthodox patriarchates of Greek language and almost all the monasteries of Saint Mount Athos into a greate philanthropic-social work, offering donations in money, ecclesiastic and liturgic objects, books, many of which were published in Greek, Georgian or Arabic. Also, the Saint Voivode Constantin Brâncoveanu remains in the memory of the Church and of the people as a great founder of monasteries and churches rising someones news from the foundation, and restoring, embellishing, or endowing others which were older. In all the ecclesiastic and secular constructions he oversaw the harmonious combination within the architecture, mural painting and sculpture, the autohtone tradition, the neo-Byzantine style and Italian Renaissance innovative ideas into a new characteristic style. By his effort and foundations Constantin Brâncoveanu left his mark(, “the brâncovenesc style”) on a hole period, named after him “the brâncovenesc époque”. The most prominent and emblematic of his constructions are the Hurezi Monastery in the Vâlcea County, in Oltenia, the Brâncoveanu Monastery from Sâmbăta de Sus in the Făgăraş County, in Transylvania. In Bucharest it has to be mentioned the wonderfull church of Saint George the New (consecrated in 1707 in the presence of Roma-nian and foreign high-ranking hierarchs as Patriarch Hrisanthos Notara of Jerusalem,) where, later, in 1720, the holy relics of the Martyr Founder were laided down by Lady (“Doamna”) Maria Brâncoveanu, the voivode’s wife for eternal rest. Also, near Bucharest, the Princyal Palace from Mogoşoaia, it is splendor monument of secular “brancovan style”. Besides of all his remarcable political, economic, cultural, educational and social achievements, the Saint Voivode Constantin Basarab Brâncoveanu remains into Church and people’s memory as a great martyr, who assumed his vocation of testifying Jesus Christ giving his life and that of his sons. In 15 Au-gust 1714, in the feast of Dormition of Our Lady, and the Voivode having ful-filled 60 years old, together with his sons: Constantin, Ştefan, Radu and Matei, us the tresorer Ianake Văcărescu, were beheaded in Constantinople, in front of the sultan Ahmed III and a numerous assistance of Othoman and European officials. For his martyrical death, for his example of constant and orthodox faith, this founder of culture and supporter of all Orthodox East was canonized from the Romanian Orthodox Church in 20 iune 1922, having his feast every year on 16 August. He remains to us an example of dignity, faith, witness till our death, for getting “the victor’s crown” in the Kingdom of Heaven.