Ioan Răuțescu

Ioan (Ion) Răuțescu (1 October 1892 – 19 May 1974) was a Romanian priest, historical monographist, paleographer, collector of old documents, publicist and folklorist who mainly dealt with researching the history of the Muscel area, writing four monographs dedicated to the mentioned area, works awarded by the Romanian Academy, History Section.

Biography

Childhood Ioan Răuțescu was born on 1 October 1892, in Dragoslavele commune, former Muscel County, currently Argeș County, being the first of the nine children of Ion and Paraschiva Răuțescu. His father, Ion Răuțescu (24 January 1860 – 14 October 1916) was killed in front of the house by an artillery shell during First World War, Dragoslavele being the theater of the fight. Likewise, the younger brother of the priest Ioan Răuțescu, Daniil Răuțescu (1896–1916), died in 1916 in the battle at the Bratocea pass, his name being found on Mausoleum of Mateiaș, erected in honor of the fallen heroes in the battles of the First World War.

Education and training After graduating from the primary school courses in Dragoslavele, carrying in his soul the words of his mother: "I send you to school, to become a teacher or a priest, on the condition that you return to the village", Ioan Răuțescu attends, between 1905 and 1913, the Central Seminary in Bucharest. Here he shows a passion for foreign languages and undertakes the first research investigations of some works and documents at the Romanian Academy Library.

After graduating from the Seminary, on 29 September 1913, he married Maria Arsulescu, the cousin of the playwright Tudor Mușatescu. During their long marriage (61 years) they had 9 children, 6 of whom survived: Nicolae, Ana, Vasilica, Maria Rodica, Sofia and Elena "Puica".

Between 1927 and 1931, Ioan Răuțescu attended, as a scholarship student, the Faculty of Orthodox Theology of the University of Bucharest, showing inclinations for learning Greek, Slavonic, Hebrew, French and German languages. It is being documented at the National Archives of Romania and the Romanian Academy Library to elaborate the bachelor's thesis on the Aninoasa Monastery in Muscel county. He defended his thesis on 31 October 1931, obtaining the maximum grade.

Professional activity On 25 January 1914, Ioan Răuțescu was ordained by the bishop Teofil Mihăilescu, the vicar of the Holy Metropolis of Ungrovlahia, as a deacon of the Church "St. Vasile" in Bucharest, and the next day, 26 January 1914, as a priest in the Cathedral of "St. Ioan" from Ploiești, which had the same patron as the "Înălțarea Domnului" church, from the hometown of Dragoslavele. Until 1 October 1920, Ioan Răuțescu was an assistant priest, and after that a parish priest at the same church, raised to the rank of parish by Decree No. 3431 of August 1920. He served this church until his retirement in 1968.

Alongside his pastoral activity, from 1914 to 1920, Ioan Răuțescu taught religion as a substitute teacher at the elementary school in Dragoslavele.

For 25 years, between 1925 and 1950, priest Ioan Răuțescu was uninterruptedly the president of the Rucăr Priests' Circle and, for several years, a member and, later, president of the Court Commission of the Archdiocese in the town of Câmpulung.

For the way he knew how to do his duty as a shepherd, he received the following awards: by the Order of the Holy Metropolis of Ungrovlachia No. 4921 of 31 October 1925 – the right to wear a blue belt and cap, with Order No. 9786/1930 – the right to wear a red belt, and in 1944 the Archdiocese Muscel made it known that the Holy Metropolis granted Ioan Răuțescu the rank of Stavrofor icon priest. The ordination was done by the vicar Veniamin Pocitan, at the beginning of February 1944.

Death and legacy Ioan Răuțescu died in the family home, in Dragoslavele, on 19 May 1974. He is buried in the courtyard of the "Înălțarea Domnului" church in Dragoslavele.

After 1990, through the care of his youngest daughter, Elena Răuțescu-Petroșanu, some of the works of priest Ioan Răuțescu were republished.

In the center of the city Câmpulung, near the Church Sf. Nicolae, from the end of Negru-Vodă boulevard, opposite the bust of the founder and first ruler of Wallachia – Negru-Vodă, the bust of the priest Ioan Răuțescu was erected in 2004.

By the decision of the City Hall of Câmpulung, Dr. Petru Groza Street became Ioan Răuțescu Street. Also, the Cultural House in Dragoslavele currently bears his name.

Work Colinde [Carols] (1919) in Romanian, in the "Dumineca Poporului" Library, no. 1.

Historical monographs Dragoslavele, 1st ed. (1923), in collaboration with the folklorist Constantin Rădulescu-Codin Mănăstirea Aninoasa (1933) Dragoslavele, 2nd ed. (1937) Topoloveni (1939), with a foreword by Ion Mihalache Câmpulung-Muscel. Historical monograph (1943)

Articles (selective list) Ioan Răuțescu, Zaharia Petrescu, Schitul Cetățuia Negru Vodă [Hermitage Negru-Vodă Citadel] in Romanian, „Glasul Bisericii" magazine, year XV, 1956, no. 3–4, pp. 152–162 Ioan Răuțescu, Bisericile din Boteni – Muscel și slujitorii lor [The churches of Boteni – Muscel and their servants], in Romanian, „Glasul Bisericii" magazine, 1964, no. 9–10, pp. 883–896 Ioan Răuțescu, Catagrafia fostului județ Muscel, făcută la anul 1840 din porunca mitropolitului Neofit [Catagraphy of the former Muscel county, made in 1840 by order of Metropolitan Neofit], in Romanian, „Glasul Bisericii" magazine, 1965, nr. 9–10, pp. 875–900 Ioan Răuțescu, Bisericile din Rucăr (Muscel) [The churches of Rucăr (Muscel)], in Romanian, „Glasul Bisericii" magazine, 1961, no. 9–10, pp. 818–836 Ioan Răuțescu, Călătoria mea la mormintele ostașilor germani din România [My trip to the graves of German soldiers in Romania], in Romanian, „Biserica Ortodoxă Română" magazine, 1929, no. 2, pp. 126–129. Ioan Răuțescu, Câteva diate vechi [Some old testamentary provisions], in Romanian, „Biserica Ortodoxă Română" magazine, 1928, no. 9, pp. 810–815 Ioan Răuțescu, Contribuțiuni la cunoașterea preoțimii de mir din trecut [Contributions to the knowledge of the chrism priesthood of the past], in Romanian, „Biserica Ortodoxă Română" magazine, 1924, no. 1, pp. 15–22 Ioan Răuțescu, Documente privitoare la Mânăstirea Câmpulung și satele Bădeni și Stoenești [Documents regarding the Câmpulung Monastery and the villages of Bădeni and Stoenești], in Romanian, „Biserica Ortodoxă Română" magazine, 1927, no. 10, pp. 604–608 Ioan Răuțescu, Două acte privitoare la Mitropolitul Filaret I [Two documents regarding the Metropolitan Filaret I], in Romanian, „Biserica Ortodoxă Română" magazine, 1926, no. 2, pp. 69–71 Ioan Răuțescu, Două acte privitoare la Mitropolitul Grigore al II-lea [Two documents regarding the Metropolitan Grigore II], in Romanian, „Biserica Ortodoxă Română" magazine, 1925, no. 6, pp. 335–336 Ioan Răuțescu, Egumenul Mânăstirii Câmpulung, Vasile Geabelea [The abbot of the Câmpulung Monastery, Vasile Geabelea], in Romanian, „Biserica Ortodoxă Română" magazine, 1931, no. 10, pp. 602–608 Ioan Răuțescu, Felurite porunci din timpul păstoriei Mitropolitului Neofit al II-lea al Ungrovlahiei [Various commandments during the pastorate of Metropolitan Neophyte II of Ungrovlachia], in Romanian, „Glasul Bisericii" magazine, 1966, no. 11–12, pp. 1088–1095 Ioan Răuțescu, Felurite porunci din timpul păstoriei Mitropolitului Neofit al II-lea al Ungrovlahiei. (Note bibliografice) [Various commandments during the pastorate of Metropolitan Neophyte II of Ungrovlachia (Bibliographic notes)], in Romanian, „Studii Teologice" magazine, series II, year XIX, 1967, no. 7–8, p. 544 Ioan Răuțescu, Formalitățile ce se îndeplineau la hirotonii și cununii la jumătatea secolului al XIX-lea [The formalities that were performed at ordinations and weddings in the mid-19th century], in Romanian, „Glasul Bisericii" magazine, 1962, no. 7–8, pp. 779–784 Ioan Răuțescu, Însemnări de pe cărțile vechi bisericești [Notes from the old church books], in Romanian, „Biserica Ortodoxă Română" magazine, 1928, no. 3, pp. 236–243 Ioan Răuțescu, Legăturile Mânăstirii Câmpulung cu vama domnească de la Dragoslavele [The links of the Câmpulung Monastery with the royal customs from Dragoslavele], in Romanian, „Glasul Bisericii" magazine, 1972, no. 3–4, pp. 425–431 Ioan Răuțescu, O carte de judecată a Mitropolitului Filaret [A judgment book of the Metropolitan Filaret], in Romanian, „Biserica Ortodoxă Română" magazine, 1926, no. 3, pp. 179–181 Ioan Răuțescu, Preoți din Ardeal refugiați în județul Muscel la 1849 [Priests from Transylvania who took refuge in Muscel county in 1849], in Romanian, „Biserica Ortodoxă Română" magazine, 1936, no. 1–2, pp. 48–152, 182 Ioan Răuțescu, Sarindarul ["Sarindar" – prayer made by the priest for forty days], in Romanian, „Biserica Ortodoxă Română" magazine, 1927, no. 7, pp. 406–408 Ioan Răuțescu, Schitul Nămăiești [Nămăiești Hermitage], in Romanian, „Glasul Bisericii" magazine, 1957, no. 8–9, pp. 565–585 Ioan Răuțescu, Școala Domnească din Câmpulung-Muscel [The Royal School of Campulung-Muscel], in Romanian, „Glasul Bisericii" magazine, 1961, no. 7–8, pp. 696–705 Ioan Răuțescu, Un manuscris din 1833 privitor la zidirea și înființarea unei biserici lângă orașul Câmpulung-Muscel [A manuscript from 1833 regarding the building and establishment of a church near the town of Câmpulung-Muscel], in Romanian, „Glasul Bisericii" magazine, 1960, no. 9–10, pp. 816–823 Ioan Răuțescu, Trei protopopi musceleni din sec. al XIX-lea [Three 19th-century archdeacons from Muscel], in Romanian, „Glasul Bisericii" magazine, 1970, no. 9–10, pp. 1012–1027 Ioan Răuțescu, Știri documentare privitoare la biserica din Schitu Golești (Muscel) [Documentary news about the church in Schitu Golești (Muscel county)], in Romanian, „Glasul Bisericii" magazine, 1962, no. 9–10, pp. 864–877 Ioan Răuțescu, Un obiceiu vechiu. (Adălmașul) [An old custom: "Adălmaş" – drink (and snack) offered by someone after a transaction is completed.], in Romanian, "Buna Vestire" magazine, year I, no. 10, 30 April 1923

Literary contributions Oaia pierdută – colecția "Ia și citește" [The lost sheep – "Take and Read" Collection] (1927), in Romanian, Biblioteca Cercului de Publicațiuni religioase-morale, "România Mare" Printing House, Bucharest

Translations

Awards "Grigore Angelescu" Prize (1924), awarded by the Romanian Academy, History section, for the monograph Dragoslavele, 1st ed. (1923) "V. Adamachi" Prize (divisible) (1940), awarded by the Romanian Academy, History section, for the monograph Topoloveni (1939) "Dr. Cornel Nicoară" Prize (1945), awarded by the Romanian Academy, History section, for the monograph Câmpulung-Muscel (1943)