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

406 VIcTOR GODEAnU
the newly reshaped hellenism, Chrysanthos established here educational
institutions with an appropriate learning curriculum, opened not only to
Greek students but to anyone interested, however the social status. In the
schools he established, he introduced the modern Western principles of
instruction and administration, and put a personal interest in their thorough
implementation. romanian linguists consider that although the language
of these institutions was predominantly the Greek, paradoxically, without
the programmatic policy of replacing the Slavonic in schools as well
as in the churches, the romanian language would have had a hard time
evolving into a modern, cultural one. 33 then, language was not a criterion
of nationality but of culture. Moreover, “A proof that the phanariot princes
did not smothered romanian culture but encouraged it is the great number
of Greek and romanian books printed into the romanian principalities in
the 17 th and 18 th centuries. In the 17 th century, during romanian princedom,
a number of 53 books in romanian and 92 in Greek were printed, and in
the 18 th , during the phanariot princedom, a number of 231 in romanian and
only 37 in Greek appeared”. 34
In Bucharest, while being Metropolitan of Caesarea of palestine,
Chrysanthos notaras became the head master and teacher of Greek in
Brâncoveanu’s Academy, an establishment founded in fact earlier, now
relocated on a better position (a monastery in Bucharest, entrusted to the
Church of the holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem), refurbished, reorganized and
upgraded to an academic status by the walachian prince with Chrysanthos’
help. Chrysanthos held that position for five years, until he became the
patriarch of Jerusalem in 1707. the program of the Academy was adapted
from that of the university of padua, stressing on liberal arts and according
to a humanistic curriculum. By that time, the Academy reorganized by
Chrysanthos was arguably the most modern in all eastern europe, its
courses attaining up to 200 students, locals and from abroad, rich and lesser
as well. 35 It is worth noting that among his students at the Academy were
four russians sent by the Chancellor of russia to Bucharest to learn Greek.
In Moldavia too, Chrysanthos had a decisive role in implementing
modern curriculum in schools. the prince of Moldavia Antioch Cantemir
establishes in Iasi, at the beginning of the year 1707, an Academy, with
Greek as teaching language. Shortly after, the appointed head master, a
former student of Chrysanthos by now patriarch of Jerusalem, writes to
him asking for help “because everything is week, inside and outside as well
33 G.M. IoneSCu 1900: 95-103.
34 A. CAMArIAno-CIorAn 1971: 268-271.
35 Academia română 2003, vol. V: 876-879.