Blaj (; archaically spelled as ''Blaș''; hu, Balázsfalva; german: Blasendorf;
Transylvanian Saxon
The Transylvanian Saxons (german: Siebenbürger Sachsen; Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjer Såksen''; ro, Sași ardeleni, sași transilvăneni/transilvani; hu, Erdélyi szászok) are a people of German ethnicity who settled in Transylvania ...
: ''Blußendref'') is a
city
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
in Alba County, Transylvania, Romania. It has a population of 20,630 inhabitants.
The landmark of the city is the fact that it was the principal religious and cultural center of the
Romanian Greek-Catholic Church
The Romanian Greek Catholic Church or Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek-Catholic ( la, Ecclesia Graeco-Catholica Romaniae; ro, Biserica Română Unită cu Roma, Greco-Catolică), sometimes called, in reference to its Byzantine Rite, the ...
Blaj is first mentioned in 1271 as ''Villa Herbordi'', after the deed of a Count Herbod. In 1313, the domain passed to Herbod's son Blasius Cserei and the town was mentioned as ''Blasii''. Started as a hamlet for the twenty families of servants of the noble's court, it was awarded town status on May 19, 1737.
Blaj is the principal religious and cultural center of Greek Catholics in Transylvania. At 27 October 1687 begins the history of the
Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek-Catholic
The Romanian Greek Catholic Church or Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek-Catholic ( la, Ecclesia Graeco-Catholica Romaniae; ro, Biserica Română Unită cu Roma, Greco-Catolică), sometimes called, in reference to its Byzantine Rite, the ...
, history directly connected to the history of the town Blaj. It all started at the end of the treaty through which Transylvania was entering under the protection of Austria, renouncing the protection of the
Turkish Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
.
The first public school in
Romanian
Romanian may refer to:
*anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania
**Romanians, an ethnic group
**Romanian language, a Romance language
***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language
**Romanian cuisine, traditional ...
was established in Blaj in 1754. Blaj was the first place to have Romanian written with Latin alphabet instead of
in which it had traditionally been written. Blaj was also a center for the Romanian Age of Enlightenment, being the founding site of the Transylvanian School that promoted the Roman cultural heritage of the Romanians. Thus Blaj gained the nickname "The Little Rome", as Romania's national poet
Mihai Eminescu
Mihai Eminescu (; born Mihail Eminovici; 15 January 1850 – 15 June 1889) was a Romanian Romantic poet from Moldavia, novelist, and journalist, generally regarded as the most famous and influential Romanian poet. Eminescu was an active membe ...
called it.
In 1848, Câmpia Libertății in Blaj was where over 40,000 Romanians met to protest Transylvania becoming a part of Hungary, holding that the lands would be stolen from them.
Geography
Blaj lies at the confluence of the Târnava Mare and Târnava Mică rivers,
where they form the Târnava River. It is located northeast of the county seat, Alba Iulia, in a renowned wine-growing region.
Romani
Romani may refer to:
Ethnicities
* Romani people, an ethnic group of Northern Indian origin, living dispersed in Europe, the Americas and Asia
** Romani genocide, under Nazi rule
* Romani language, any of several Indo-Aryan languages of the Roma ...
Reformed Church
Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Cal ...
Bethlen
The House of Bethlen is the name of two Hungarian ancient noble families, ''Bethlen de Iktár'' and ''Bethlen de Bethlen''. Although they have similar coat of arms, those two families don't have proven mutual ancestry. Both can trace their noble li ...
dynasty is a popular tourist site near Blaj. Other sights worth visiting include the Metropolitan Palace, the Holy Trinity Cathedral, the "''Buna Vestire''" Monastery, the Greeks' Church, the "Liberty Field", and
Avram Iancu
Avram Iancu (; hu, Janku Ábrahám; 1824 – September 10, 1872) was a Transylvanian Romanian lawyer who played an important role in the local chapter of the Austrian Empire Revolutions of 1848–1849. He was especially active in the Țara Mo ...
Tiberiu Bărbulețiu
Tiberiu Bărbulețiu (born 1 December 1963 in Blaj) is a Romanian politician. He is a member of the National Liberal Party. He was a member of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies between 2004 and 2008, and was also a Member of the European Parliament ...
(born 1963), politician
* Silviu Bindea (1912–1992), footballer
*
Matei Boilă
Matei Zaharia Boilă (17 April 1926 – 27 August 2015) was a conservative Romanian politician, who later became a Greek Catholic priest. Boilă was influenced by the activity of his great uncle on his mother's side of the family, Iuliu Maniu, a Pr ...
(1926–2015), politician, Greek-Catholic priest
*
Bogdan Cistean
Bogdan Iosif Cistean (born 29 December 1986) is a Romanian former football player and current Norfolk based football coach.
References
External links
*
1986 births
Living people
People from Blaj
Romanian footballers
Association footbal ...
(born 1986), footballer
*
Sonia Colceru
Sonia Colceru (born 1 January 1934) is a Romanian volleyball player. She competed in the women's tournament at the 1964 Summer Olympics
The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 ( ja, 東京1964), were an international multi-sp ...
(born 1934), volleyball player
*
Ferenc Csentery
Ferenc Csentery (December 29, 1937 – November 7, 2014) was an abstract metal sculptor known for his conceptual work related to the emergence of the US Space Program in the 1960s. He was particularly known for the high degree of technical preci ...
(1937–2014), abstract metal sculptor
*
Doina Ivănescu
Doina Ivănescu (January 22, 1935 – 1996) was a professional volleyball player in Romania. In 1964, she went to the Olympics and helped Romania capture fourth place. She was born in Blaj, in Alba County, Romania.Bogdan Jica
Bogdan Cristian Jica (born 3 iulie 2000) is a Romanian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Defender (association football), defender for Liga III side ACS Mediaș. In his career, Jica also played for teams such as: ASC D ...
(born 2000), footballer
*
Nicolae Linca
Nicolae Linca (1 January 1929 – 27 June 2008) was a Romanian amateur welterweight boxer. After winning bronze medals at the 1953 and 1955 European championships, he became Romania's first Olympic champion in boxing at the 1956 Summer Olympics. ...
(1929–2008), welterweight boxer
*
Daniel Lupașcu
Daniel Ștefan Lupașcu (born 17 August 1981) is a Romanian former football player who played as a striker for teams such as CSM Reșița, Apulum Alba Iulia, Bihor Oradea or Arieșul Turda, among others. He played briefly in the Romanian Liga ...
(born 1981), footballer
*
Ioan Simu
Ioan Simu (June 27, 1875–June 22, 1948) was an Austro-Hungarian-born Romanian Greek-Catholic priest and politician.
Biography Origins, early activity and World War I
Born in the village of Ciufud, in Alsó-Fehér County, part of the Transy ...
(1875–1948), Greek-Catholic priest and politician
* Ioan Suciu (1907–1953), bishop of the Greek-Catholic Church
*
Daniel Tătar
Daniel Vasile Tătar (born 21 October 1987) is a Romanian footballer under contract with CSC 1599 Șelimbăr. His first match in Liga I was played for CSU Voința Sibiu against Astra Ploiești.
Honours
Hermannstadt
*Cupa României: Runner-up 2 ...
(born 1987), footballer
*
Samuil Vulcan
Samuil Vulcan (1 August 1758 – 25 December 1839) was the Bishop of the Diocese of Oradea Mare of the Romanian Greek Catholic Church from 1806 to 1839.
Life
Vulcan was born on 1 August 1758 in Veza, a former village which has since been inc ...
(1758–1839), bishop of the Greek-Catholic Church
See also
*
Bethlen Castle
''Magna Curia'' (Latin for ''The Great Court'') or The Bethlen Castle is a palace located in Deva, Romania.
History
In 1582, the Hungarian captain Ferenc Geszty, in charge of the Deva Castle's garrison, erected a house at the foot of the citade ...