George of Cernica

Venerable George of Cernica was the abbot of the Cernica Monastery in Wallachia, a disciple of Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky and a renewer of common monastic life in Muntenia. He was born in 1730 and departed to the Lord on 3 December 1806.

Youth and Athos

He was born in 1730, in a pious Orthodox family in Saliste of Sibiu. From youth he was kindled with the spirit of monastic life. But at that time the Austrian rulers of Transylvania pressed down on Orthodoxy, above all on Orthodox monasticism, urging believers to union with Rome. So at nineteen the young man went to Wallachia and entered the service of the Greek metropolitan Rosca, then at Bucharest. Soon, in 1750, he went with his spiritual father to Constantinople, then to the Holy Mountain of Athos, where he settled at Vatopedi, was tonsured rasophore and ordained deacon. After the death of the metropolitan, his guide, he became a disciple of Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky in the skete of Saint Elias. There, in 1752, he was tonsured into the mantle by the elder Paisius, and in 1754 he was ordained hieromonk.

In Moldavia

In 1763, with sixty-⁠four other disciples, he followed his great elder to Moldavia, to the Dragomirna Monastery, where for twelve years he served as hieromonk, confessor and steward. After Bukovina fell under the rule of Roman Catholic Austria, in 1775 he passed, with the brethren of Dragomirna led by the elder Paisius, to the Secu Monastery, and in 1779 he followed Saint Paisius to the Neamts Lavra, where he stayed about two more years.

Cernica and Caldarusani

In 1781, wishing to renew the memory of his discipleship, with the elder's blessing he set out again for Athos. Arriving at Bucharest, he was stopped by Metropolitan Gregory II of Ungro-⁠Wallachia and by his old friend, a disciple of Saint Paisius, the hieromonk Macarius. After their insistence, he agreed to revive monastic life in the skete of Cernica, left in desolation for more than thirty years. His task was to set up in that part of Wallachia a monastery with a common rule, like those of Athos and of Paisius.

With the help of the prince Nicholas Mavrogheni and other Christians, Father George began rebuilding the great church and the cells. He gave much time to the spiritual perfection of the monks. In the monastery the service was held every day, and the inhabitants, besides reading Holy Scripture, the writings of the Holy Fathers and prayer, carried out numerous obediences, copied manuscripts and worked with their hands. By his sacrificial and gifted shepherding he kindled again the hearth of spiritual life at Cernica and in only five years gathered a community of a hundred and three. In 1785 he fell gravely ill and, expecting the end soon, wrote his testament, in which he set the way of life of the community. But soon he recovered and went on with his shepherd's struggle.

Because of his successes at Cernica, in 1793 Metropolitan Philaret II entrusted to him also the Caldarusani Monastery. From April 1794 Father George lived in both monasteries in turn, appointing in them deputy abbots, especially for the time of his absence. In both he introduced the Athonite and Paisian common rule, with service seven times a day, frequent confession, obedience, unceasing prayer and a common table.

Repose and veneration

Saint George shepherded both monasteries to the end of his life. He departed to the Lord on 3 December 1806, mourned by the numerous brotherhood of the two monasteries, and was buried in the Cernica Monastery, before the church of Saint Lazarus, in the place where Metropolitan Nifon was later buried. After his repose he was honoured as a shepherd of high spiritual life, a guide of two great monastic centres of Wallachia, a renewer of true monastic life after Athonite and Paisian models. The elder had many disciples and followers, such as Saint Callinicus of Cernica, the chief cantor hieromonk Macarius and others. His testament and teaching of 1785 spread in many copies.

At the session of 20-21 October 2005 of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, the elder George was glorified among the venerable. The solemn announcement of the canonization took place on 3 December of the same year, in the Cernica Monastery, with the service of glorification led by Patriarch Teoctist of Romania, together with numerous Romanian hierarchs. By decision of the Holy Synod of the Russian Church of 21 August 2007, the saint's name was entered in the calendar of the Russian Church. The Azbyka page gives for him the day of 16 December.