Saint Gregory Metropolitan of Wallachia

Early Life and Monastic Formation

Gregory was born in Bucharest in 1765 and received a strong classical and theological education, studying at the academy of Saint Sava, where sources record him learning Latin, Greek, theology, and grammar.

Around 1790 he entered the Neamt Monastery in Moldova, then a renowned center of monastic learning and patristic translation gathered around Saint Paisius Velichkovsky. There he was tonsured a monk with the name Gregory and was instructed in the monastic rule. His command of Greek led to his being given the obedience of translating writings of the Fathers.

Translation and Publishing Work

Gregory's literary labors are the basis of his epithet "the Teacher" (Dascalul). Working with the monk Gherontie, he helped produce Romanian editions of religious texts in Bucharest, and his translation work continued at the metropolitan library and at Neamt.

Sources credit him with rendering works of the Fathers into Romanian, including writings associated with Saint John Chrysostom and Saint Gregory the Theologian, much of this undertaken during his years at the Caldarusani Monastery near Bucharest.

Metropolitan of Wallachia

In 1823 Prince Grigore Dimitrie Ghica appointed Gregory to the metropolitan throne of Hungro-Wallachia. As metropolitan he is reported to have appointed bishops to the dioceses of Arges, Ramnicu, and Buzau, built churches, and founded schools and seminaries, expanding theological education in the principality.

During the Russo-Turkish conflict of the period he was exiled to Bessarabia in 1829 by the Russian administration then governing the principalities. He returned to Bucharest in 1833 and reposed on 22 June 1834 during a vigil.

Relics & Shrines

Saint Gregory was buried in the metropolitan (archiepiscopal) church in Bucharest. According to the sources, his relics were later transferred to the Caldarusani Monastery north of Bucharest, with which he had long been associated, where they were subsequently reburied.

Glorification

Saint Gregory was glorified (canonized) by the Romanian Orthodox Church in 2005. His feast is kept on June 22, the anniversary of his repose.