Melchisedec Ștefănescu
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Melchisedec Ștefănescu (Romanian pronunciation: [ˌmelkiseˈdek ʃtefəˈnesku]; born Mihail Ștefănescu [mihaˈil]; 27 February [O.S. 15 February] 1823 – 28 May [O.S. 16 May] 1892) was a Moldavian, later Romanian historian and bishop of the Romanian Orthodox Church. A native of the Piatra Neamț area, he was educated at Iași and in Kiev. After a decade of teaching seminary, he became a bishop, serving at Huși, Ismail, briefly in Galați and then in Roman until his death. He was involved in politics, especially around the time the United Principalities came into being, and was a steadfast supporter of Alexandru Ion Cuza's reforms, including the secularization of monastic estates. A historian appreciated by his peers, Melchisedec published over sixty works. After his death, his property and money went toward setting up the Romanian Academy Library, sending students on scholarship to Imperial Russia and establishing a foundation that continues its activities in Roman.