Romanian Old Calendar Orthodox Church

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Romanian Old Calendar Orthodox Church
Acronym(s) BOSVR
Origin
Founded
Current primate
Headquarters Slătioara
Territory Romania
Liturgical language(s)
Musical tradition
Bishops
Parishes
Monasteries
Official website


The Romanian Old Calendar Orthodox Church (Biserica Ortodoxă de Stil Vechi din România), or sometimes called the Romanian Traditionalist Orthodox Church or True Orthodox Church of Romania, is the Romanian True Orthodox Church which is Headquartered at Slătioara Monastery in the Village of Slătioara in the Suceava Region of Romania. It was first just the Romanian Old Calendar Movement and Bishopless Synod being ran under the unofficial leadership of Hieromonk Glicherie Tănase for almost 30 years before being joined by Bishop Galaktion Cordun in 1952 whom would formally collectivize the Synod and became the First Metropolitan and First Hierarch of the Synod. BOSVR aims to continue the Romanian Orthodox Church in opposition to the Romanian Patriarchate (BOR) which adopted the New Calendar in Late 1924 and has dabbled in some Ecumenistic Activity in the past 100 years since then. Today, BOSVR has Churches all across Romania, with a Concentration around the Carpathian Mountains, and has around 1.5 to 2.5 Million Laity and Membership in Romania. Since the mid 1990s, BOSVR has tried slowly to extend a few Parishes Abroad in Europe so it also has some Parishes in Italy, France, Ireland, United Kingdom, and Germany.

Beginnings of the Romanian Old Calendar Movement

The Old Calendar Movement of Romania can be linked to the days of the Calendar Change itself back in November of 1924 when numerous Parishes decided to continue top operate and run on the Patristic Julian Calendar (Old Calendar) instead of adopting the Revised Julian Calendar (New Calendar) and this was met with tolerance at first until a few years later in 1926 where the Romanian Patriarchate started to push the New Calendar more on various Parishes which didn't adopt it in 1924 and put some pressure on some of them. Of the Old Calendar operating Parishes and Churches there was, among them was a Hieromonk named Glicherie Tănase (21st February/4th March1892 - June 15th/28th 1985) who was the most notable opponent of the New Calendar Change and the direction of the Romanian Patriarchate. After the 1926 Pascha Celebration, where Patriarch Miron Cristea unpopularly called for celebrating on the Gregorian Pascha which was a violation of the First Ecumenical Council, him and his good Spiritual Brother Hierodeacon David Bidașcu and 2 other Monks would decide to leave Neamț Monastery and Procrov Monastery and flee to the Forests of Romania around the Carpathians and then going out to build up New Churches and retain some other Old Calendar operating Parishes. During the late 1920s and early to mid 1930s, the mistreatment and persecution of Old Calendarists and Old Calendar Parishes was risen to a great degree as Patriarch Miron now was putting pressure on Old Calendar Operating Parishes to shift to the New Calendar and the current Regime under King Carol the Second also pressured Old Calendarists to accept the Change. During this period of time, Romanian Old Calendarists had a number of House Parishes and had Catacomb Churches while trying to maintain existing or newly built Old Calendar operating Churches.

Journey for Support and Ordination of New Bishops

In 1929, Hieromonk Glicherie would set out to Journey to Mount Athos and then to the Holy Land to see the Patriarchate of Jerusalem for support of the Old Calendar Movement in Romania. During his travels and visit and short stay at the Holy Mount, Hieromonk Glicherie found mass support among the Monastics and Clerics of Mount Athos for him and the Old Calendar Movement that was continuing in Romania and when he went to travel and stay within Jerusalem and the Holy Land, Patriarch Damius Kasiotis of Jerusalem blessed him and said his words of support for him and the Old Calendar Movement which sought to continue the Romanian Orthodox Church and oppose the New Calendar Reform that took place in the Romanian Patriarchate. In the later half of 1930, Hieromonk Glicherie would return to Romania for 4 years and trying to keep the flock strong during waves of undermining and persecution from the Romanian State and some Bishops of the Romanian Patriarchate. Then in 1934, after hearing the coming and formal collectivization of a Greek Old Calendarist Synod under Metropolitan Chrysostomos Kavouridis of Florina, the Genuine Orthodox Church of Greece, Hieromonk Glicherie took with him 3 other Clerics, Hierodeacon David and 2 Monks for translating, and went to seek Ordinations for Bishops for the Old Calendar Movement in Romania which was currently Bishopless and only had Priests and Monastics. While some Bishops of the GOC of Greece were supportive and desired to help out Hieromonk Glicherie and the Romanian Old Calendarists, they had to wait until Metropolitan Chrysostomos came back from his journey to Jerusalem which was being delayed as he was held up in Cyprus due to the United Kingdom and Liberal Greek Government of the time.

Unfortunately due to some escalation in tension and pressure from the Civil Authorities, the Romanian Clergy ended up leaving Athens and Greece in general, after a stop by Mount Athos. While some of them went home, Hieromonk Glicherie and one other Monk continued the Journey and attempted to go north to Belgrade and ask ROCA for 2 Bishops to come to Romania and ordain some Bishops for the Old Calendarists of Romania. After arriving in Belgrade, Hieromonk Glicherie met Archbishop Anastasius Gribanovsky and had a good conversation where he supported Hieromonk Glicherie and his Movement and approved of Ordinations for him, however he could not do it himself due to being needed in Belgrade and some Pastoral Work. So Archbishop Anastasius told him to see a Bishop in Budapest to go to Romania and help the Romanian Old Calendarists and naturally, Hieromonk Glicherie went to Budapest. Unfortunately, when he arrived at the Parish of the ROCA Bishop in Budapest, he found out he left for Vienna for a Local Council Meeting and so he went to Vienna to see him but after meeting the Bishop, he denied the request to help as he was busy but also, moreover, had concerns for being caught up in Romania and being potentially arrested for helping to ordain new Bishops. With very little money left, Hieromonk Glicherie and the one Monk who accompanied him left back with no results for their Mission of garnering Ordinations. However, despite the disappointing results, Hieromonk Glicherie was met with many joyous Old Calendar Laity as they were happy he returned and was ready to lead and preach them through the hard times.

Rebuilding of Parishes, Shift to Communist Period, and Gaining New Bishops

The 1940s saw both a new Patriarch, Archbishop Nicodim Munteanu, a new Government, a Constitutional Monarchy with Authoritarian Reign of Ion Antonescu and the Iron Guard, and a new Monarch, King Mihai I Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. During this time period, BOSVR saw a mass decrease in mistreatment and persecution under the New Government and BOSVR continued, from the late 1930s, to rebuild and build New Parishes and open some prior ones which were temporarily shut down for use by some Local Officials. During this time, Hieromonk Glicherie was helping to build and consecrate new Parishes and it was also during the very early 1940s where Slătioara Monastery got the finishing touches and officially became Headquarters of the Romanian Old Calendar Orthodox Church. When Summer/Autumn of 1944 came and Romania was losing the War against the Soviets and starting to get invaded by them, BOSVR prepared and braced for the probable Situation of Communist Rule in Romania. In 1944, King Mihai and a few other Generals tried to compensate and tried to make the loss less costly and decided to take control of what goes on in Romania and side with the Soviets and Western Allies as to get away with staving off any potential Communist Government from forming in the result of the Aftermath. Unfortunately there was a Coalition between the King and Romanian Communists and eventually the King and National Government was forced out in favour of a new Communist Government by 1950.

It was during this same time that Bishop Galaktion Cordun, longly discontented with the direction of the Romanian Patriarchate and not seeing a significant attempt and turn around, exchanged Letters with Hieromonk Glicherie and Hierodeacon David Bidașcu in talks of Bishop Galaktion becoming their Bishop and First Hierarch. In 1952 this is what exactly took place and Bishop Galaktion, who had to have some caution in traveling due to the Communist Authorities, made his way to Slătioara. He would then help the Old Calendarist Synod and start to collectivize the Synod abit more before officially declaring that he will take up the mantle of being the First Hierarch and Leader of the Romanian Old Calendarists in 1954 and then in April of 1955 they were recognized by the Government as an Orthodox Synod along with the already recognized Romanian Patriarchate. From there, now First Hierarch and Metropolitan Galaktion would lead the Synod albeit getting older and aging which is why in 1957, after being heavily limited in contacting other Old Calendar Jurisdictions for helping in Ordinations and no other Romanian Bishops switching to their Jurisdiction, Metropolitan Galaktion would oikonomically ordain 2 Bishops being Father Evloghie Oța and Father Meftodie Marinache. Although he desired to ordain Hieromonk Glicherie, he was caught up in another part of the Carpathian Mountains and didn't hear of the decision immediately but within the next week, Metropolitan Galaktion would then ordain 3 more Bishops with the first of the three being Hieromonk Glicherie. Now BOSVR finally had not just one Bishop but 6 Bishops in total making up the Holy Synod of the Romanian Old Calendar Orthodox Church.

Death of First Hierarch Galaktion and Elevation of First Hierarch Glicherie

On July 8th of 1959, First Hierarch and Metropolitan Galaktion Cordun would pass away during the night time and would be buried in the middle of the night with very small gathering of some Monastics as a proper funeral service wasn't available at the time due to the then increase in some surveillance by the local Communist Police and Officials then. After his death and burial, Archbishop Glicherie Tănase would be popularly selected among the Holy Synod and take up the mantle as the next First Hierarch and Metropolitan of BOSVR. First Hierarch and Metropolitan Glicherie would reign from 1959 to 1985 and would be known as the most Popular and well loved of the First Hierarchs of BOSVR thus far along with being a Cleric of the Church which has been monumental for the Old Calendar Movement in Romania while enduring the harsh times under the Regimes of Carol II and the Communist Government.

Death of First Hierarch Glicherie, Collapse of the Communist Ceaușescu Regime, and Canonization of Saint Glicherie the Confessor

On June 15th (June 28th New Style), The 25 year Reign and Leadership of Metropolitan Glicherie Tănase of Slătioara came to an end, just 4 years before the Romanian Revolution against the Communist Ceaușescu Regime. Many Clerics and Laity alike came out to the Funeral Service to mourn him as a beloved First Hierarch, Spiritual Leader, Great Builder, and Faithful Confessor which was led by the next First Hierarch Archbishop Sylvester Onofrei. Archbishop Silvestru Onofrei would then become the next First Hierarch soon after and be the First Primate of the Synod to see the Communist Government collapse and the persecution and mistreatment of Orthodox around the country to disappear after decades and have a Centre Left Nationalist and Social Conservative Democratic Government take the Reigns which gave support for the Orthodox People of Romania and gave much more free reign to the Romanian Old Calendar Orthodox Church.

BOSVR Synod in Modernity

The Romanian Old Calendar Orthodox Church today remains Headquartered at Slătioara Monastery in the Village of Slătioara and continues going strong and being known today as among the top True Orthodox Jurisdictions which bolsters strong numbers of Membership and Laity by itself as they hold an estimated 1.5 to 2.5 Million Members / Laity in Romania. They have over 80 Parishes, and growing, across Romania and also have a number of Parishes Abroad in Italy, France, United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, and Austria. The Current First Hierarch is Metropolitan Evloghius Nica of Fălticeni (2024- ) who was elected relatively recently as the new First Hierarch as he was elected just after the short 2 year reigning Metropolitan Demosten Ioniță of Covasna who was among the number of Spiritual Children Saint Glicherie Tănase had.

The List of Past First Hierarchs of BOSVR:

• Metropolitan Galaktion Cordun of Bucharest (1955 - 1959) • Metropolitan Saint Glicherie of Slătioara (1959 - 1985) • Metropolitan Silvestru Onofrei of Rădășeni (1985 - 1992) • Metropolitan Vlasie Mogârzan of Slatina (1992 - 2022) • Metropolitan Demosten Ioniță of Covasna (2022 - 2024) • Metropolitan Evloghius Nica of Fălticeni (2024)

The Current Holy Synod of BOSVR is made up of the following Bishops:

• Metropolitan Evloghius Nica of Fălticeni • Archbishop Flavian of Râşca • Archbishop Sofronie of Suceava • Archbishop Glicherie of Iași • Archbishop Dionisie of Galați • Archbishop David of Păiseni • Archbishop Antonie of Bacău • Archbishop Iosif of Slatina • Archbishop Teodosie of Mileanca

External Links

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