Cotnari
Encyclopedia
Cotnari is a village and the center of the eponymous commune in Iaşi County
, Romania
, in the informal region of Moldova. It is located north-west of Iaşi
and south of Hârlău
, in a major wine-producing region of Romania, and is famous for the wine variety known as Grasă de Cotnari
. Cârjoaia, the forest of Dumbrava Roşie, and other sites in Cotnari are regional tourist spots.
The commune is composed of eleven villages: Bahluiu, Cârjoaia, Cireşeni, Cotnari, Făgăt, Hodora, Horodiştea, Iosupeni, Lupăria, Valea Racului and Zbereni.
; a fortress dating from the 6th or 5th century BC was discovered on the nearby Cătălina Hill (nowadays a nature reserve).
First attested in 1448, Cotnari was the site of a strong Roman Catholic community composed mainly of Germans
and Magyars. The establishmment of vineyards is attributed by local tradition to an initiative of Moldavia
n Prince Stephen the Great
, under whose rule the village rose to the status of alternate residence, while stone structures and roads to serve the wine trade were built in the area.
Its Catholic tradition made the village a target for Reformation
in the 1560s, under the rule of the Protestant
Prince Ioan Iacob Heraclid
: Heraclid built a Latin
Renaissance
academy (Schola Latina), placed under the leadership of Ioannes Sommerus
; the church he built on the site was re-established as a Catholic place of worship after Heraclid's death, and served the community until 1873, when it burned down. In 1641, Cotnari became the regional center of Catholic education, until being replaced 60 years later by the Jesuit school in Iaşi.
Iasi County
Iași is a county of Romania, in Moldavia, with the administrative seat at Iași.-Demographics:As of 1 July 2007, Iași County had a population of 825,100, making it the second most populous county in Romania after Bucharest, with a population density of 150/km².*Romanians - 98.1%*Roma -...
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, in the informal region of Moldova. It is located north-west of Iaşi
Iasi
Iași is the second most populous city and a municipality in Romania. Located in the historical Moldavia region, Iași has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Romanian social, cultural, academic and artistic life...
and south of Hârlău
Hârlau
Hârlău is a town in Iaşi County, Moldavia, Romania. the estimated population is 11,271. It was the capital city of Moldova in the 15th century. One village, Pârcovaci, is administered by the town.-Population:...
, in a major wine-producing region of Romania, and is famous for the wine variety known as Grasă de Cotnari
Grasa de Cotnari
Grasă de Cotnari is a Romanian wine variety associated with the Cotnari vineyard, Moldavia, where it has been grown ever since the rule of Prince Stephen the Great . With the general decline in demand for sweet wines after the second world war and bad wine making during the communist era, Grasă...
. Cârjoaia, the forest of Dumbrava Roşie, and other sites in Cotnari are regional tourist spots.
The commune is composed of eleven villages: Bahluiu, Cârjoaia, Cireşeni, Cotnari, Făgăt, Hodora, Horodiştea, Iosupeni, Lupăria, Valea Racului and Zbereni.
History
Proofs of habitation in the area go back to the Cucuteni cultureCucuteni culture
The Cucuteni-Trypillian culture, also known as Cucuteni culture , Trypillian culture or Tripolye culture , is a late Neolithic archaeological culture which flourished between ca...
; a fortress dating from the 6th or 5th century BC was discovered on the nearby Cătălina Hill (nowadays a nature reserve).
First attested in 1448, Cotnari was the site of a strong Roman Catholic community composed mainly of Germans
Germans of Romania
The Germans of Romania or Rumäniendeutsche were 760,000 strong in 1930. They are not a single group; thus, to understand their language, culture, and history, one must view them as independent groups:...
and Magyars. The establishmment of vineyards is attributed by local tradition to an initiative of Moldavia
Moldavia
Moldavia is a geographic and historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester river...
n Prince Stephen the Great
Stephen III of Moldavia
Stephen III of Moldavia was Prince of Moldavia between 1457 and 1504 and the most prominent representative of the House of Mușat.During his reign, he strengthened Moldavia and maintained its independence against the ambitions of Hungary, Poland, and the...
, under whose rule the village rose to the status of alternate residence, while stone structures and roads to serve the wine trade were built in the area.
Its Catholic tradition made the village a target for Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
in the 1560s, under the rule of the Protestant
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
Prince Ioan Iacob Heraclid
Ioan Iacob Heraclid
Ioan Iacob Heraclid , also known as Jacob Heraclides, was a Greek soldier and ruler of Moldavia from November 1561 to November 1563, most notable for being the first officially Protestant monarch in Eastern Europe....
: Heraclid built a Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
academy (Schola Latina), placed under the leadership of Ioannes Sommerus
Ioannes Sommerus
Johann Sommer or in Latin Ioannes Sommerus was a Transylvanian Saxon Protestant theologian, poet and Despot Vodă's biographer.In 1562 he enrolled at University of Frankfurt, but did not graduate...
; the church he built on the site was re-established as a Catholic place of worship after Heraclid's death, and served the community until 1873, when it burned down. In 1641, Cotnari became the regional center of Catholic education, until being replaced 60 years later by the Jesuit school in Iaşi.