ANTHIM THE IBERIAN (ca.1650–1716).  Prominent religious and public figure in Romania, also known as Antimoz Iverieli (in Georgian) and Antim Ivireanul (in Romanian). A Georgian by birth, he was kidnapped by Ottoman slave traders and brought to Istanbul, where he was rescued by the Patriarch of Jerusalem. Entering the priesthood, he remained with the patriarch until 1680s when he was invited to Romania. He became the bishop of Râmnicu in 1705 and the archbishop of Wallachia in 1708. A man of great talents, he spoke several languages, including Greek, Romanian, Arabic, and Turkish, and soon acquired a thorough knowledge of the Romanian language and culture. He was instrumental in establishing Romanian as the official language of the Romanian Orthodox Church. He became a master printer and established printing presses in Targoviste, Râmnicu, and Bucharest, where he published numerous books in the Romanian, Greek, Slavic, and Arabic languages. His books facilitated a revival of the Romanian literature and national consciousness. 

In the early 1700s, Anthim trained his fellow Georgians in the art of printing and sent one of his disciples, master printer Mihaî Isvanovicî, (Michael Stefan the Wallachian), to Georgia, where a first printing press was established in Tbilisi in 1709. Possessing great oratorical skills, Anthim became known for his sermons and pastoral letters. He was also actively involved in the political movements of the time and worked for the independence of Romania. He openly called for an anti-Ottoman uprising, criticized the Romanian elites, and came into conflict with the Phanariot officials. In 1716, he was detained at the instigation of the prince of Wallachia and was sentenced to life exile in one of the monasteries. However, as he was escorted across the Danube, Anthim was assassinated and his body was thrown into the river. He was canonized by the Romanian Orthodox Church in June 1992. 

ALM