The Provisional Church Authority in the Southern Dobruja Region during the Time of the Bishop Vartolomeu Stănescu Băcăoanul

Abstract

In the aftermath of the Peace Treaty of Bucharest from 1913, Romania integrated within its boundaries the region of Southern Dobruja, also called Cadrilater. The area was extremely complex from an ethnic composition standpoint and raised a number of issues with regards to its integration within the Romanian state. In parallel with the administrative integration of the region, the church integration within the Romanian Orthodox Church of the Christians from the area was made at the same time. A similar endeavor had taken place, starting in 1878, in the counties of Tulcea and Constanta, under the coordination of the Bishopric of the Lower Danube, which also administered the Southern Dobruja region for a while. Until its full integration within the Romanian Orthodox Church, in Southern Dobruja there was a provisional church authority led by one of the most important Romanian bishops from the XXth Century: Vartolomeu Stănescu. This study describes in detail his activity as the leader of the administration of the provisional church authority from Southern Dobruja.