LE SYMPOSIUM INTERNATIONAL LE LIVRE. LA ROUMANIE. L ...

258 John nandriŞ
in the houses of the upper-class Aromâni of Vienna, and dedicated some
of their works to their hosts. Beethoven completed his ninth symphony
while living in the house of Iakovos Diamantis of philipopolis [plovdiv].
From 1817–1818 he lived in the house of Markos Darvaris of Klisura 36 in
Macedonia, and composed many works there.
one of the most politically significant and culturally influential figures
in the social being both of romanians and Aromâni, and indeed widely
throughout the Balkans, was Andrei Şaguna. he was born as Anastasie
Şaguna at Miškolc in Austro-hungary on the 1 st January 1809, to a family
of poorly-off Aromân merchants. he died on 28 th June 1873, and he is
buried at răşinari, outside sibiu. he attended the royal university in Pest,
sponsored by Atanasie Gabroszky, and read philosophy and law. From 1829
he lived among the romanians of Vršac and graduated from the romanian
section of the Vršac seminary. he was invited to Karlowitz as Secretary
and Tutor to the serbian Metropolitan, Štefan stratimirović.
in 1833 Şaguna became a monk, taking the name Andrei. he became
a Bishop in transylvania and presided over the Great national Assembly
[Marea Adunarea Naţionala pe Cîmpia Libertăţii] of 3–15 May 1848. he
included Avram Iancu in his first synod in March 1850, and worked for
“the peoples’ cultural condition and its progress”, words which are imbued
with infinitely more sincerity than some later appeals to the well-being
of “the people”. he increased the number of church schools from 400
to 800, set up a printing press in Sibiu, published his illustrated Bible in
1856–1858, translated from the Greek. In 1858 he started the Telegraful
Român. he played a prominent role in the foundation in March 1861 of the
Cultural Association Astra 37 , and became its first president, being made an
Academician in 1871.
Aromâni naturally enough seemed to be everywhere in the Austrohungarian
empire. the Theodore Karagianni Gasse in Vienna
commemorates the great-grandfather of herbert von Karajan, whose
Aromân ancestors migrated there from Kozani in the early 18 th century.
Aromâni are further commemorated in Vienna in the Dumbastrasse,
the Sinagasse; and of course the Griechengasse, and the Rhigastrasse.
the so-called “Greek Churches” of Venice, Vienna, Sofia, Skopje, and
elsewhere were predominantly Vlach foundations. Aromâni were responsible
for the foundation of the first rope factory in southern serbia at Vuče, the
textile industry of Paraćin, and much of the commerce of Kragujevac. in
36 It is perhaps of some interest that the family of Gregory peck originated among the
Vlahs of Klisura.
37 Acronym of Asociaţiunea Transilvană pentru Literatura Română şi Cultura
Poporului Rromân.