Metropolitan Bishop
Saint Varlaam (Motsok), Metropolitan of Moldavia, was born around 1590 in a family of minor landowners in the village of Boloșești. From an early age, he studied at the Zosin skete, where he took monastic vows under the name Varlaam. He became the abbot of the Secu Monastery, where he translated the "Ladder" of St. John Climacus into Romanian.
In 1632, he became the Metropolitan of Moldavia. His ministry took place during the reign of Prince Vasily Lupu, when both ecclesiastical and secular culture flourished. He consecrated the Church of the Three Hierarchs in Iași and participated in the founding of the Iași Slavo-Greek-Latin Academy.
With the support of the prince, he established a printing house, where important books were published, including the first book in Moldavia in the Romanian language. The language of his translations was characterized by euphony and an abundance of Slavicisms.
In 1653, he resigned from the metropolitan throne and retired to the Secu Monastery, where he spent his last years. He passed away on December 19, 1657, and was buried in the Secu Monastery.
On February 12, 2007, he was canonized by the Romanian Orthodox Church, with his feast day established on September 12. On March 7, 2018, his name was included in the calendar of the Russian Orthodox Church.
