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On the occasion of the expansion of the natural gas distribution network in the Velența neighborhood of Oradea, on the streets: Avântului, Eftimie Murgu, Miron Costin, Constantin Dobrogeanu Gherea, Redutei, Anton Bacalbaşa, Ion Rațiu, Oțelarilor, 12 Octombrie, ceramic fragments were discovered, fragments of graphite melting pots, pipes, fragmentary glass, bones and some metal pieces, most dating from the modern era (18th-19th centuries), some from the medieval era (14th-17th centuries) and some from the 20th century. Velența or Venice (vicus Venetia), a settlement to the east of the fortress, on the left bank of the Crișul Repede River, is attested for the first time in 1291-1294, as a possession of the Catholic bishop. In 1304 it is mentioned under the form vicus Venetia, and in 1374, Venetia alio nomine Tykol. The settlement is located on a relatively flat, floodable land, situated between Crișul Repede and the Peța stream with warm water. A lot of dead arms, beds, canals, some with water from Criș, others filling up when the level of Crișul Repede and Peța rose, together with some dams, protected the settlement from floods, turning it into a small "Venice". Most of the artefacts are in a fragmentary state, being discovered most of the time in a secondary position, strongly affected by the interventions carried out over time. The entire archaeological material was recovered, marked and stored for primary processing, which was immediately achieved with the involvement of students from the History bachelor studies of the University of Oradea. Some artifacts were restored by Mrs. Olimpia Mureșan (metals) and Mr. Ștefan Lipot (ceramics) and were part of the exhibition organized in collaboration with the Oradea City Museum - Cultural Complex, between March 29 - May 22, 2018 entitled: "Archaeological artifacts saved from the Velența area, 2016-2017". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ordained priest on June 24th 1903, metropolitan canonic (1921), delegate to the Vatican Commission for drafting the Canonic Code of the Eastern churches (1929) in October 1936, Ioan Bălan was named Greek Catholic bishop of Lugoj. Arrested on October 29th 1948 in Lugoj, detained at the local Securitate centre, the next day was transferred to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. On October 31st 1948 he was admitted to Dragoslavele, then to the Căldăruşani Monastery (February 27th 1949). On May 24th 1950 he was transferred to the Sighet Penitentiary - the "Danube" - work colony, being employed in a working unit, following the Ministry of Internal Affairs decision No 64 from January 30th 1952 for 24 months. By the Ministry of Internal Affairs decision No 684 from December 28th 1953, the penalty was increased by 24 months, starting from January 30th 1954. On January the 4th, 1955, he was transferred from Sighet, together with bishops Iuliu Hossu and Alexandru Rusu, and was admitted two days later to the Gerota Sanatorium and on the 2nd of February 1955 to the Hospital „I.C. Frimu" from Bucharest. On May 7th 1955 he was moved with forced domicile to the monastery of the Court of Argeş. On April 23rd 1956, the three Greek Catholic bishops sent a memoir to Gheorghiu-Dej in which they protested against the abolition of the Greek Catholic Church. As a reply, the authorities decided on July 12 1956 to move the hierarchies to the Ciorogârla monastery. After priests Vasile Chindriş and Izidor Ghiurco held a liturgy in Cluj in front of several thousand believers on August 12, 1956, the next day, the three bishops were divided. Bishop Ioan Bălan remained in Ciorogârla. He died on August 4th 1959 at the age of 79. The inhuman conditions in prison, and the restrictive life during forced domicile associated with the old age, led to his death but consecrated him as a martyr, who preferred the final sacrifice in the fight to preserve his faith. On March 19th 2019 the Holy See recognized the martyrdom of Bălan. The beatification liturgy was held on June 2nd in Blaj, on the Plain of Freedom, by Pope Francis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alexandru Nicolescu is better known as a Greek Catholic bishop and metropolitan, but he was also an interesting church writer. After studying in Blaj and Rome, he was a missionary in North America (in the USA but apparently also in Canada); returned to Transylvania, he worked as a teacher in Blaj. Alexandru Nicolescu was one of the few Romanian clerics in the Austro-Hungarian Empire or in the Kingdom of Romania at the beginning of the 20th century who had contact with North American civilization and had a thorough knowledge of English. In Nicolescu's writings we can detect this double influence: the rigor of theology of Western origin - as a result of his studies in Rome - and an apparent American "modernism", both raised on the Transylvanian Greek Catholic tradition. Certainly the model of bishop - or rather of the Christian that Nicolescu cultivated - was influenced by the Christian of the "New World". That is why his literary production was an original at the time of its appearance in the Romanian cultural space, with many elements of novelty in the theological approach to many problems of daily life. Probably this type of theological approach would have developed in the Greek Catholic Church in a certain specific direction if the rupture of 1948 had not intervened. All these details make us believe that Alexandru Nicolescu's writings are all the more interesting. for today's reader as they mark a moment of uniqueness in the history of Greek Catholic theological literature in Romania. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an attempt of complement and diversification of the historical research theme, we present in this context matters about an exemplary character of the Transylvanian - Romanian - Central European and, as well, ecclesiastical civilization: Saint Hierarch Andrei Saguna vicar-general - bishop - metropolitan. The treating covers topics such as Image and the Impression at Andrei Şaguna, with the awareness of the socio-political effects that he can exploit in exercising his mission. We used Sibiu documentaries as complete as possible, but also from some of the most important libraries and museums in the country, or from online sources. They were invoked lifetime and posthumous portraits, photographs, stamps, "oils", replicates from the country and Germanic world, including the painting which served as a model for the icon of Saint Hierarch Andrei Saguna. On account of concrete data, we allowed ourselves to propose an array of characteristic data - often new - for a distinct personality, under the title an exemplary man in peers observations, in everything, maybe, contributions to the objectivation of a myth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the last 140 years since the death of the prominent figure of Saint Andrei Şaguna, there bas been plenty of literature written on the subject. I am sure that there will be plenty of literature on the subject in the future as well, as there are still new aspects of his personality and its historical reception that have been less researched and known. One of these less-known aspects of the Metropolitan from Sibiu was sketched by Georg Daniel Teutsch, Bishop of the Luteran Church in Transylvania, in the Transylvanian Saxon newspaper Siebenbürgisch-Deutsches Wochenblatt at the time of Şaguna's death in June 16th/28th 1873. This study restores and analyses for the first time in a larger historiographical perspective not only the complete article, as written by G.D. Teutsch on July 2nd 1873, providing the full translation of the article in the Annex, but also underlining some important considerations expresed by the most renown saxon historians about the Romanian hierarch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The measures adopted by the communist government between 1945- 1948 showed very clearly that the hierarchs of the Greek-Catholic Church in Romania had to choose between the co-operation with the new regime and the suppression. Facing this challenge, the hierarchs and the united priests proved an extraordinary dignity, courage and loyalty for their beliefs. Our research is trying to shed some light over a few aspects of the informative pursuit proceeded by the 'Securitate' regarding the Greek-catholic bishop Ioan Dragomir, former archpriest of Satu Mare, secretly established as auxiliary bishop of the Maramures diocese. Brought to the 'Securitate's attention, immediately after his release from detention, bishop Ioan Dragomir was strictly watched thanks to his active attitude in the former cult, but also to his position in the clandestine Greek- catholic hierarchy. At the same time with the informative surveillance, the 'Securitate' exerted a lot of pressure and warnings combined with different measures of 'positive inluence' due to moderate his actions. Being extremely inluential in the clandestine Greek-catholic hierarchy of the former diocese of Maramures, the 'Securitate' restored to different compromise methods, but also to provoking and increasing certain misunderstandings between Ioan Dragomir and the former united priests. Being aware of the ill-fated consequences for the Greek-catholic cult, by temporary adopting the Latin rite, bishop Ioan Dragomir opposed to it irmly, hoping that the Greek-Catholic Church will regain its rights as a result of the external pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]