The Academy of Romanian Scientists commemorates General Paul Teodorescu (1888-1981), full member, on the occasion of his 135th birthday.
The “General Paul Teodorescu” Centre for Research on the Cooperation between the Orthodox Church and the Romanian Army and the magazine Mission, founded and directed by Prof. Valentin Ciorbea, full member of the Academy of Romanian Scientists, commemorates General Paul Teodorescu on July 7-8, 2023 on the occasion of his 135th birthday.
On Friday 7 July 2023, the National Symposium “The Church and the Romanian Army. Traditions of cooperation”, 10th edition, and issue X of Mission magazine will be launched.
On Saturday, July 8, 2023, the religious and military ceremony will take place during which the plaque of the Heroes of the 30th Guards Brigade “Mihai Viteazul” will be unveiled and consecrated. The Hrisov will be presented and signed by which the Holy Monastery will be reconsecrated as a place of prayer and remembrance for the Air Force, Navy and 30th Guards Brigade “Mihai Viteazul”, fulfilling the wish expressed in the will of General Paul Teodorescu. The event will be honoured by representatives of the Government, the Defence Staff, the Air Force Staff, the Naval Staff, the National Defence University “Carol I” and the Academy of Romanian Scientists.
On this occasion, Prof. Dr. Eng. Adrian Badea, President of the Academy of Romanian Scientists, sent the following tribute to the organizers:
Tribute to General Paul Teodorescu on his 135th birthday
2023 is the year in which, on a round anniversary, we pay homage to General Paul Teodorescu (28 June 1888-17 January 1981), a personality who distinguished himself in the interwar period in the command line, in diplomacy (military attaché in Paris, Brussels and Madrid), as a teacher, reformer of higher military education (commander and creator of the campus of the Superior War School), Minister of Air and Navy and scientist.
Among his achievements, which were quite remarkable for their spiritual-religious impact, the consecration in 1939 of the Wooden Monastery as the Holy Place of the Air Force and Navy remains forever, giving a new dimension to the secular links between the Army and the Church. Paul Teodorescu is considered, together with Matei Basarab and Șerban Cantacuzino, the third founder of the monastery, personally taking care of the restoration of the monastery complex and the consolidation of the association of the Air Force and Navy with the Holy Monastery.
His books, studies and articles have earned him recognition in academia for his originality and importance in Army training.
The Romanian Academy of Sciences elected him in the very year of its establishment, 1935, to Section VIII – Military Genius as a corresponding member. A year later, in December 1936, he became a full member.
In 1940, he was placed under house arrest by order of General Ion Antonescu, for which reason he resigned from the army. Like so many other leading Romanian soldiers and men of value, he was arrested and suffered the Communist hardships in Aiud prison.
In the good tradition of making known and promoting the achievements of its members, the leadership of the Academy of Romanian Scientists supports, through the “General Paul Teodorescu” Centre for Research on the Cooperation between the Orthodox Church and the Romanian Army, based at the Dintr-un Lemn Monastery, the yearbook Mission and the National Symposium “The Orthodox Church and the Romanian Army. The Traditions of Cooperation”, to bring the work and achievements of General Paul Teodorescu to the attention of the scientific community. We also supported the initiative of the Centre’s management to create and unveil, on 9 July 2022, the bust of General Paul Teodorescu at the Dintr-un Lemn Monastery as part of a religious and military ceremony, as his life, scientific work and achievements remain a guiding landmark for today’s and future generations.
Prof. dr. eng. Adrian Badea
President of the Academy of Romanian Scientists