Nicolae Cristea

Nicolae Cristea ( – February 7, 1902) was an Austro-Hungarian ethnic Romanian Orthodox priest, professor, journalist and political activist. A protégé of Andrei Șaguna, he studied in Germany before returning to edit the church's newspaper for nearly two decades, a period during which he also taught at the theological seminary in Sibiu. He was politically active, a stance that culminated in the early 1890s with his signing of the Transylvanian Memorandum and subsequent imprisonment.

Biography Origins and education

Born to peasant parents in Ocna Sibiului, in the Transylvania region, and was ordained a priest later that year.

During a period that saw the loss of Transylvania's autonomy as a result of the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 and a concerted Magyarization effort, Cristea consistently defended the rights of the province's Romanians. Like his mentor, he promoted an activist stance through polemical articles, and the widely read newspaper turned a profit for the first time. After Tribuna newspaper was founded in 1884, he occasionally contributed articles there. he helped draft the 1892 Transylvanian Memorandum. Indicted the following year, he and party president Ioan Rațiu vowed to speak only Romanian at their trial, held in May 1894. Cristea defended himself energetically, refusing to disavow his role. He was sentenced to eight months' imprisonment, which he carried out at Vác with the majority of fellow signatories. While there, he wrote a brochure detailing his political convictions. He was granted a furlough in order to bury his son. The court costs were considerable for Cristea, who already had to support four children and received supplemental income from Romanian political circles. Upon being released, his advisor's salary was not paid for months; he was clearly not liked by Metropolitan Miron, whose behavior he criticized vehemently in his diary.

He died in Sibiu; his funeral was officiated by Mețianu and attended by an imposing crowd that included fellow Memorandum signer Rubin Patiția. Cristea was buried at the parish church in the Iosefin neighborhood.