MIRON, CRISTEA. — First “Orthodox” Patriarch of Greater Romania, b. at Toplița, Transylvania, 18 July 1868, d. at Cannes, 6 March 1939. After studies at Bistrița, Năsăud, and Sibiu, he earned a doctorate in letters at the University of Budapest. In 1909 he was elected Bishop of Caransebeș.
On 1 December 1918 he was part of the delegation that presented to King Ferdinand I the decision for the union of Transylvania with Romania. In 1919 he was elected Metropolitan of “Ungrovlachia,” i.e., Wallachia, thereby becoming Primate of the entire country; in 1925 this title was replaced by that of Patriarch.
He had the monastery “Sf. Ilie” built at Toplița and in 1926 founded an association to combat sects and social and religious ills. During his patriarchate the organization of the entire Romanian “Orthodox” Church was unified on the basis of the Statute of Saguna.
In 1926, following Prince Carol’s renunciation of the right of succession, Miron was part of the regency for the young Prince Michael. In 1938, after Carol’s return in 1930 and his abandonment of democratic government in favor of a dictatorship, Miron accepted the position of head of government, which he held until his death.