Iosafat Snagoveanu (; also credited as Ioasaf Znagoveanu, born Ion Vărbileanu ; April 22, 1797–November 3, 1872) was a

Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ; : , : ) is a historical and geographical region of modern-day Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians. Wallachia was traditionally divided into two sections, Munteni ...

n revolutionary and monk of the

Romanian Orthodox Church The Romanian Orthodox Church (ROC; , ), or Romanian Patriarchate, is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church in full communion with other Eastern Orthodox Christian denomination, Christian churches, and one of the nine patriarchates in the East ...

. Born in

Prahova County Prahova County () is a county (județ) of Romania, in the Historical regions of Romania, historical region Muntenia, with the capital city at Ploiești. Demographics In 2011, it had a population of 762,886 and the population density was 161/k ...

, in a village on the

Vărbilău River Vărbilău is a commune in Prahova County, Muntenia, Romania. It is composed of five villages: Coțofenești, Livadea, Podu Ursului, Poiana Vărbilău, and Vărbilău. Geography The commune is located in the central part of the county, north ...

valley, he was educated at the seminary of the Buzău Diocese. He was ordained a priest in 1829, assigned to

Slănic Slănic () is one of the 12 towns of Prahova County, Muntenia, Romania, historically and currently known as a salt extraction center, as well as a spa town, with salt lakes. Two villages, Groșani and Prăjani, are administered by the town. Etym ...

parish, and soon made archpriest of

Mizil Mizil () is a town in Prahova County, Muntenia, Romania. Located in the southeastern part of the county, it lies along the road between the cities of Ploiești and Buzău, and to the northeast of the national capital, Bucharest. Its position led i ...

. Left a widower, he entered a monastery under the name ''Iosafat'', and for a time was an administrator at the Buzău Diocese. Iosafat resumed his education at

Saint Sava College Saint Sava College was one of the earliest academic institutions in Wallachia, Romania. It was the predecessor to both Saint Sava National College and the University of Bucharest. History It was the continuator of the Princely Academy from Buchare ...

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

, and served as a priest at the Saint Sava Monastery, then at

Curtea Veche Curtea Veche (the Old Princely Court) was built as a palace or residence during the rule of Vlad III Dracula in 1459. Archaeological excavations started in 1953, and now the site is operated by the ''Muzeul Municipiului București'' in the histor ...

. After finishing school, he was named professor at Saint Sava. From April 1844 to November 1848, he was

hegumen Hegumen, hegumenos, or igumen (, trans. ), is the title for the head of a monastery in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches, or an archpriest in the Coptic Orthodox Church, similar to the title of abbot. The head of a convent of ...

of Snagov Monastery, from which he took his name. Iosafat was an active participant in the

Wallachian Revolution of 1848 The Wallachian Revolution of 1848 was a Romanian liberal and nationalist uprising in the Principality of Wallachia. Part of the Revolutions of 1848, and closely connected with the unsuccessful revolt in the Principality of Moldavia, it sough ...

, serving on a commission for freeing the

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: People, characters, figures, names * Roma or Romani people, an ethnic group living mostly in Europe and the Americas. * Roma called Roy, ancient Egyptian High Priest of Amun * Roma (footballer, born 1979), born ''Paul ...

slaves Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

. As a result, he was forced to flee, first to

Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...

and then to

Dobruja Dobruja or Dobrudja (; or ''Dobrudža''; , or ; ; Dobrujan Tatar: ''Tomrîğa''; Ukrainian language, Ukrainian and ) is a Geography, geographical and historical region in Southeastern Europe that has been divided since the 19th century betw ...

, where Metropolitan Dionisie of Proilavia ordained him

archimandrite The title archimandrite (; ), used in Eastern Christianity, originally referred to a superior abbot ('' hegumenos'', , present participle of the verb meaning "to lead") whom a bishop appointed to supervise several "ordinary" abbots and monaste ...

. Iosafat ultimately settled in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, where he organized the Romanian community around a chapel at 22 rue Racine. The building was blessed in 1855, and he served there until his death."Iosafat Snagoveanu"
entry in Mircea Păcurariu, ''Dicționarul Teologilor Români'', Editura Univers Enciclopedic, Bucharest, 1996 He was buried in the parochial crypt at

Montparnasse Cemetery Montparnasse Cemetery () is a cemetery in the Montparnasse quarter of Paris, in the city's 14th arrondissement of Paris, 14th arrondissement. The cemetery is roughly 47 acres and is the second largest cemetery in Paris. The cemetery has over 35,00 ...

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Snagoveanu, Iosafat 1797 births 1872 deaths People from Prahova County Romanian Orthodox monks Romanian expatriates in France Romanian schoolteachers Organizers of the Wallachian Revolution of 1848 Burials at Montparnasse Cemetery