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

396 VIcTOR GODEAnU
Greek, into a society where archaic and medieval customs still prevailed.
Soon after the phanariot period, with all its benefits and downfalls, ended
in the first half of the 19 th century, a wave of liberal Western influence, of a
rather aped character however, hit the walachian and moldavian societies.
the mixing of local levantinism and misinterpreted Western liberalism
resulted in a, to some extent grotesque, synthesis of what describes the
beginning of the romanian modern cultural values.
Chrysanthos Notaras’ early life and intellectual training
one cannot abstract Chrysanthos notaras’ life and activity from the
whole picture of the political and social context of his time, in orient and
Western europe as well. he was entirely a man of his time, a clerical and
a scientist, whose interest and understanding of the new european realities
in politics, science and culture interwove with his conscience of belonging
to the ancient spiritual vein of Greece, altogether promoting and defending
the phanariot interests.
Chrysanthos notaras, the patriarch of Jerusalem between 1707 and
1731 4 , was certainly one of most remarkable figures involved in the new
definition of the political and cultural map of the Balkans that affected
altogether Walachia and Moldavia (later romania). Born about 1660/1670 5
in the Greek mainland town of trikala in thessaly, Chrysanthos died in
Constantinople 6 in 1731.
Apparently, his family traces its origins to the famous noble and valiant
byzantine name notaras. his denomination as The Morait, frequently used
in the old romanian bibliography, derived from the region of Moreea where
he was born. Chrysanthos had a brother, neophytes notaras, whom their
uncle Dositheos, the patriarch of Jerusalem, appointed as his deputy, and
a nephew Demetrios notaras, well known as a medical doctor and writer. 7
regarding the studies of Chrysanthos, the very influential romanian
historian nicolae Iorga mentions the assertion of an 18 th century moldavian
4 Although disputed, 1731 prevails in romanian academic bibliography as the year
of chrysanthos’ death (Academia română 2003, vol. Vi: 348 and M. PAcurAru 1992,
vol. 2: 625).
5 the year of his birth is uncertain. however, because in 1680 Chrysanthos became
archdeacon, most probable he was born somewhere closer to 1660 than to 1670.
6 An indication of Constantinople as place of death (mentioning “after 26 years of
patriarchy”) gives C. erBICeAnu 1888, Cronicarii greci carii au scris despre români
în epoca fanariotă, Bucureşti, Tipografia cărţilor Bisericeşti: 107.
7 “… A philosopher and doctor, learned in both, knew Greek and latin and died in
Bucharest” – C. erBICeAnu 1888: 221.