Patriarch Nicodim of Romania

His Beatitude Patriarch Nicodim of Romania
By God's mercy, Archbishop of Bucharest, Metropolitan of Ungro-Vlachia, Locum tenens of the throne of Caesarea Cappadociae and Patriarch of All Romania
Church	Romanian Orthodox Church
See	Bucharest
Installed	5 July 1939
Term ended	27 February 1948
Predecessor	Patriarch Miron of Romania
Successor	Patriarch Justinian of Romania
Personal details
Born	Nicolae Munteanu (1864-12-06)6 December 1864 Pipirig, Neamț County, Principality of Moldavia
Died	27 February 1948(1948-02-27) (aged 83) Bucharest, Romanian People's Republic
Buried	Romanian Patriarchal Cathedral
Nationality	Romanian
Denomination	Eastern Orthodox
Alma mater	Kiev-Mohyla Academy, Russian Empire

Patriarh Nicodim (centre), with Mihai I (right) and Gheorghiu-Dej (left) at a reception at the Soviet embassy, 1946

Nicodim (Romanian pronunciation: [nikoˈdim]), born Nicolae Munteanu ([nikoˈla.e munˈte̯anu]; 6 December 1864, Pipirig, Neamț County, Romania – 27 February 1948, Bucharest), was the head of the Romanian Orthodox Church (Patriarch of All Romania) between 1939 and 1948.

Biography

He studied theology at the Kiev-Mohyla Academy, Russian Empire and became a monk at Neamț Monastery in 1894. Nicodim was supportive of the King and the royal family and a notable anti-Communist, refusing to give support for the Soviet-backed Communist regime in the process of installation in Romania in 1945–1947. Immediately, rumors circulated to the effect that he had been murdered, perhaps with Soviet approval. However, all available evidence indicates the patriarch died of natural causes.

Nicodim Munteanu was buried at the Romanian Patriarchal Cathedral in Bucharest, next to the first Patriarch of Romania Miron Cristea.

External links

• (in Romanian) Nicodim Munteanu on the Romanian Patriarchate website