Greek 1447 (0.16%) and Roma 11,977 (1.3%), while in the Southern Dobruja aut of
a total of 283,395 there are 192,698 (68%) Bulgarians, 106,568 Turkish 72,963
(25.75%) Roma 12,192 (4.3%), Tatar 808 (0.29%) and Romanians 947 (0.33%).
(Wikipedia 2016a, b, c).
The most important cities in Dobruja are Constant ¸a, Tulcea, Medgidia, Mangalia
(in Romania) and Varna, Dobrich and Silistra in Bulgaria. (Wikipedia 2016a, b, c).
In Romania, at October 7, 2015, in order to emphasize and celebrate the date of
November 14, 1878, the date of the union of Dobruja with the Romanian Principalities, President Klaus-Werner Iohannis promulgated the law stating the date of
14th of November as Dobruja Day. (Monitorul Oficial 2015).
3.2 Spirituality, Culture, Science
Spirituality embraces in Dobruja the concept of symphonia. A myriad of religious
cults live together in harmony in this blessed land: Muslims; Russian, Romanian,
Greek and Bulgarian Orthodox; Jews, Catholics, other cults and atheists, too. Most
numerous are the Orthodox, followed by Muslims, Catholics and Jews. There are
numerous Churches and monasteries in Constant ¸a County, among which interesting
and well-known are St. Andrews cave and Dervent Monastery. (Ciocioi 2013)
Among the monasteries from Tulcea we notice Manastirea Halmyris, dedicated to
the Martyr Saints Epictet and Astion, in Murigiol town. These saints have their
relics kept at this monastery and these are the oldest relics venerated on the
Romanian territory. We may also think about the sacred triangle formed by the
villages Izvoarele, Satu Nou and Strunga with their tiny straw churches, which are
part of a spiritual environment marked by Christian and Muslim Churches alike and
part of a patrimony environment dignified of greater respect. The above-mentioned
sacred-triangle churches were found near the cave of Saint Andrew the Christian
forerunner of Romanians. (Chirilut ¸a ˘ et al. 2015).
In a more reflective perspective, Dobruja is a concrete realm of wonders of
different natures: cultural, spiritual, geographical. In a philosophical interpretation
we can say that, confronted with the colour-changing immensity Black Sea on a
daily basis, the people from this part of the world had a special landscape horizon by
which they were stimulated to scrutinize their souls and meditate about spiritual
matters.
In a way the Black Sea might have inspired a sense of immortality, a poetic force
and a reflective force in the people living its shores. Also we can notice a vein of
cultural optimism in their creative lives extremely different from the tone in the
Triste. What is cultural optimism? Instead of considering as Oswald Spengler did
that culture is like a biological organism and it is subjected to temporal decay one
may embrace the idea of immortality of culture and spirit, not confinable into a
body decay metaphor. The paradox of a permanently changing and permanently
similar sea is a metaphor for permanence and creativity in themselves. When we
accept this perspective, we can extrapolate it and understand the Black Sea a
44
E. Laza ˘r and H.A. S ¸ erban
a total of 283,395 there are 192,698 (68%) Bulgarians, 106,568 Turkish 72,963
(25.75%) Roma 12,192 (4.3%), Tatar 808 (0.29%) and Romanians 947 (0.33%).
(Wikipedia 2016a, b, c).
The most important cities in Dobruja are Constant ¸a, Tulcea, Medgidia, Mangalia
(in Romania) and Varna, Dobrich and Silistra in Bulgaria. (Wikipedia 2016a, b, c).
In Romania, at October 7, 2015, in order to emphasize and celebrate the date of
November 14, 1878, the date of the union of Dobruja with the Romanian Principalities, President Klaus-Werner Iohannis promulgated the law stating the date of
14th of November as Dobruja Day. (Monitorul Oficial 2015).
3.2 Spirituality, Culture, Science
Spirituality embraces in Dobruja the concept of symphonia. A myriad of religious
cults live together in harmony in this blessed land: Muslims; Russian, Romanian,
Greek and Bulgarian Orthodox; Jews, Catholics, other cults and atheists, too. Most
numerous are the Orthodox, followed by Muslims, Catholics and Jews. There are
numerous Churches and monasteries in Constant ¸a County, among which interesting
and well-known are St. Andrews cave and Dervent Monastery. (Ciocioi 2013)
Among the monasteries from Tulcea we notice Manastirea Halmyris, dedicated to
the Martyr Saints Epictet and Astion, in Murigiol town. These saints have their
relics kept at this monastery and these are the oldest relics venerated on the
Romanian territory. We may also think about the sacred triangle formed by the
villages Izvoarele, Satu Nou and Strunga with their tiny straw churches, which are
part of a spiritual environment marked by Christian and Muslim Churches alike and
part of a patrimony environment dignified of greater respect. The above-mentioned
sacred-triangle churches were found near the cave of Saint Andrew the Christian
forerunner of Romanians. (Chirilut ¸a ˘ et al. 2015).
In a more reflective perspective, Dobruja is a concrete realm of wonders of
different natures: cultural, spiritual, geographical. In a philosophical interpretation
we can say that, confronted with the colour-changing immensity Black Sea on a
daily basis, the people from this part of the world had a special landscape horizon by
which they were stimulated to scrutinize their souls and meditate about spiritual
matters.
In a way the Black Sea might have inspired a sense of immortality, a poetic force
and a reflective force in the people living its shores. Also we can notice a vein of
cultural optimism in their creative lives extremely different from the tone in the
Triste. What is cultural optimism? Instead of considering as Oswald Spengler did
that culture is like a biological organism and it is subjected to temporal decay one
may embrace the idea of immortality of culture and spirit, not confinable into a
body decay metaphor. The paradox of a permanently changing and permanently
similar sea is a metaphor for permanence and creativity in themselves. When we
accept this perspective, we can extrapolate it and understand the Black Sea a
44
E. Laza ˘r and H.A. S ¸ erban