Ioan Gheorghe Savin

Ioan Gheorghe Savin (December 19, 1885 – February 22, 1973) was a Romanian theologian, within the Romanian Orthodox Church. A professor and a widely published writer, he spent several years in prison under the early communist regime.

Biography A native of Jorăști, Galați County, He attended seminary in Iași, followed by the theology faculty of the University of Bucharest from 1905 to 1909.

He wrote numerous books, studies, and articles, with a particular focus on apologetics. Savin's works sought to defend religious and moral values, addressing issues relevant to his day. He was also interested in dialogue between religion and science, as well as culture. The author of several anti-Bolshevik works, he was forced to retire in 1948, at the onset of the communist regime. Arrested in May 1950 by the Securitate secret police, he was charged with "intensive activity against the workers' movement" and sent to Sighet Prison, from which he was released in July 1955. In 1962, he was permitted to publish under his brother's name, and under his own name in 1970. Also in 1962, he was denied a pension because, as a theology professor, he had combated historical materialism. He died in 1973 and was buried at Cernica Monastery, Ilfov County.