Tartaria
Encyclopedia
Săliştea known as Cioara until 1965, is a commune located in Alba county
, Romania
. The old name of Cioara is still widely used, especially by local residents.
It is composed of four villages: Mărgineni, Săliştea, Săliştea-Deal and Tărtăria.
in the South-West of Alba county
. The centre of the commune is situated 5 km north of a main Romanian National Road, namely the DN7
, to which is connected by the county road 705E. The nearest cities are Sebeş
(21 km), Cugir
(25 km) and the county capital, Alba Iulia
(27 km).
The bordering communes are Blandiana in the north, Vinţu de Jos
in the north-east, Pianu in the east, the town of Cugir
in the west and Şibot in the south.
The relief is dominated by the low terraces of the river Mureş in the north and the high plateau and several hills in the south. The highest hills, Globul, Hǎlmul and Coasta Rǎchitii, are about 700-900 metres high. Other hills are Vǎratecul (630 m), Dealul Mare (452 m), Dealul Ciorii (424 m), Dealul Calului (389 m) and Munceii Rotunzi (341 m).
The medium annual temperatures range between 5 and 9 degrees Celsius.
of the Middle Neolithic
.
Other archaeological findings indicate the existence of a Dacia
n settlement in this area. The main discovery was a series of 62 pieces of silver artifacts, found in 1820 by Matei Molodeţ, a villager from Săliştea. Several coins dated back to the times of Roman Dacia
were also found by archaeologists.
The first attestation of a village in the area occupied today by Săliştea dates back to 4 November 1310, when by order of king Charles I of Hungary
, the village of Archişul Românesc (Romanian Archiş) was donated to Count
Reneriu from Vinţu de Jos
. The other village, Drejman, was attested in a document from 29 June 1375, when by order of king Louis I of Hungary, villa Drasman is inherited by Reneriu's granddaughters.
On 23 May 1458 Archişul Românesc and Drejman were united to form the village of Cioara, named after the stream Cioara, a tributary of river
Mureş. It is possible that the stream Cioara was named after the famous inn close to the village of Archişul Românesc and Drejman, that had as an emblem a crow
(in Romanian
: cioarǎ or corb). The emblem of the inn was also the emblem of the Barcsay noble
family from Bârcea Mare, Hunedoara
, that was attested in this area in several documents from 1458 and 1462, and became the dominant noble family in Săliştea starting from 1508.
The village of Cioara is linked to Sofronie of Cioara
, the Eastern Orthodox
Monk
and Saint
of the Romanian Orthodox Church
who, between the autumn of 1759 and the spring of 1761, led the peaceful uprising of the Romanian Orthodox population against the Habsburg
policy of encouraging all Romanians to join the Greek-Catholic Church
. In 1701, the Emperor Leopold I
decreed Transylvania's Orthodox Church to be one with the Roman Catholic Church. Sofronie's peaceful uprising advocated for freedom of worship and the right of the Romanian population in Transylvania
to have a Romanian Orthodox bishop. As a response to Sofronie's movement, the Austrian military commander systematically destroyed the monasteries in Transylvania that had served as centres of the uprising, including the one in Cioara. In the end however, The Orthodox achieved a notable victory: recognition by the court of Vienna of the legal existence of their church and the appointment of a bishop in person of Dionisie Novacovic.
Several historians also showed the involvement of several villagers from Cioara in the Revolt of Horea, Cloşca and Crişan
and the Transylvanian Memorandum
movement.
A number of 550 inhabitants of Cioara fought during World War I
in the Austro-Hungarian Army
and most of them as volunteers in the Romanian Army in the second part of the war. Sixty-five of them were reported dead in action.
On 1 December 1918, the Alba Iulia
National Assembly proclaimed the Union of Transylvania with Romania
. Several people from Cioara took part in the assembly, including the local priest, Constantin Oancea, who was one of the speakers in the Assembly.
During World War II
, more than 250 people from Cioara fought in the Romanian Army, of which 45 died in action. After the war, 65 children from Bessarabia
, including their teacher, found refuge in the commune.
The name of the commune was changed in 1965 from Cioara to Săliştea.
were discovered in the village of Tărtăria, which is part of the Săliştea commune, in 1961 by a team of Romanian archaeologists led by Nicolae Vlassa.
Alba County
Alba is a county of Romania, in Transylvania, its capital city being Alba-Iulia with a population of 66,406.- Demographics :In 2002, it had a population of 382,747 and the population density was 61/km².* Romanians - 90.4%* Hungarians - 5.4%...
, 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...
. The old name of Cioara is still widely used, especially by local residents.
It is composed of four villages: Mărgineni, Săliştea, Săliştea-Deal and Tărtăria.
Geography
Săliştea is located near the Mureş RiverMures River
The Mureș is an approximately 761 km long river in Eastern Europe. It originates in the Hășmașu Mare Range in the Eastern Carpathian Mountains, Romania, and joins the Tisza river at Szeged in southeastern Hungary....
in the South-West of Alba county
Alba County
Alba is a county of Romania, in Transylvania, its capital city being Alba-Iulia with a population of 66,406.- Demographics :In 2002, it had a population of 382,747 and the population density was 61/km².* Romanians - 90.4%* Hungarians - 5.4%...
. The centre of the commune is situated 5 km north of a main Romanian National Road, namely the DN7
DN7
Romania's DN7 links the capital city of Bucharest to the Banat region, in western Romania, and further to the eastern European capitals Budapest and Belgrade. It is a high-traffic road and the preferred route for trucks...
, to which is connected by the county road 705E. The nearest cities are Sebeş
Sebes
Sebeș is a city in Alba County, central Romania, southern Transylvania.-Geography:The city lies on the Mureș River valley and it straddles the Sebeș river...
(21 km), Cugir
Cugir
Cugir is a town in Alba county, the central settlement of the Breadfield, in Romania. About 45 kilometers south-west of Alba-Iulia, the capital of the county, and 300 meters above sea level at the base of the Surianu Mountains...
(25 km) and the county capital, Alba Iulia
Alba Iulia
Alba Iulia is a city in Alba County, Transylvania, Romania with a population of 66,747, located on the Mureş River. Since the High Middle Ages, the city has been the seat of Transylvania's Roman Catholic diocese. Between 1541 and 1690 it was the capital of the Principality of Transylvania...
(27 km).
The bordering communes are Blandiana in the north, Vinţu de Jos
Vintu de Jos
Vinţu de Jos, also known as Vinţ is a commune located in the centre of Alba County, Romania. It is composed of eighteen villages: Câmpu Goblii , Ciocaşu , Crişeni , Dealu Ferului , Gura Cuţului , Haţegana , Inuri , Laz , Mătăcina , Mereteu...
in the north-east, Pianu in the east, the town of Cugir
Cugir
Cugir is a town in Alba county, the central settlement of the Breadfield, in Romania. About 45 kilometers south-west of Alba-Iulia, the capital of the county, and 300 meters above sea level at the base of the Surianu Mountains...
in the west and Şibot in the south.
The relief is dominated by the low terraces of the river Mureş in the north and the high plateau and several hills in the south. The highest hills, Globul, Hǎlmul and Coasta Rǎchitii, are about 700-900 metres high. Other hills are Vǎratecul (630 m), Dealul Mare (452 m), Dealul Ciorii (424 m), Dealul Calului (389 m) and Munceii Rotunzi (341 m).
The medium annual temperatures range between 5 and 9 degrees Celsius.
History
The oldest traces of human activity in Săliştea date back to the Vinča cultureVinca culture
The Vinča culture is a Neolithic archaeological culture in Southeastern Europe, dated to the period 5500–4500 BCE. Named for its type site, Vinča-Belo Brdo, a large tell settlement discovered by Serbian archaeologist Miloje Vasić in 1908, it represents the material remains of a prehistoric society...
of the Middle Neolithic
Neolithic Europe
Neolithic Europe refers to a prehistoric period in which Neolithic technology was present in Europe. This corresponds roughly to a time between 7000 BC and c. 1700 BC...
.
Other archaeological findings indicate the existence of a Dacia
Dacia
In ancient geography, especially in Roman sources, Dacia was the land inhabited by the Dacians or Getae as they were known by the Greeks—the branch of the Thracians north of the Haemus range...
n settlement in this area. The main discovery was a series of 62 pieces of silver artifacts, found in 1820 by Matei Molodeţ, a villager from Săliştea. Several coins dated back to the times of Roman Dacia
Roman Dacia
The Roman province of Dacia on the Balkans included the modern Romanian regions of Transylvania, Banat and Oltenia, and temporarily Muntenia and southern Moldova, but not the nearby regions of Moesia...
were also found by archaeologists.
The first attestation of a village in the area occupied today by Săliştea dates back to 4 November 1310, when by order of king Charles I of Hungary
Charles I of Hungary
Charles I , also known as Charles Robert , was the first King of Hungary and Croatia of the House of Anjou. He was also descended from the old Hungarian Árpád dynasty. His claim to the throne of Hungary was contested by several pretenders...
, the village of Archişul Românesc (Romanian Archiş) was donated to Count
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
Reneriu from Vinţu de Jos
Vintu de Jos
Vinţu de Jos, also known as Vinţ is a commune located in the centre of Alba County, Romania. It is composed of eighteen villages: Câmpu Goblii , Ciocaşu , Crişeni , Dealu Ferului , Gura Cuţului , Haţegana , Inuri , Laz , Mătăcina , Mereteu...
. The other village, Drejman, was attested in a document from 29 June 1375, when by order of king Louis I of Hungary, villa Drasman is inherited by Reneriu's granddaughters.
Mureş. It is possible that the stream Cioara was named after the famous inn close to the village of Archişul Românesc and Drejman, that had as an emblem a crow
Crow
Crows form the genus Corvus in the family Corvidae. Ranging in size from the relatively small pigeon-size jackdaws to the Common Raven of the Holarctic region and Thick-billed Raven of the highlands of Ethiopia, the 40 or so members of this genus occur on all temperate continents and several...
(in Romanian
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
: cioarǎ or corb). The emblem of the inn was also the emblem of the Barcsay noble
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
family from Bârcea Mare, Hunedoara
Hunedoara County
Hunedoara is a county of Romania, in Transylvania, with its capital city at Deva.-Demographics:In 2002, it had a population of 485,712 and the population density was 69/km².*Romanians - 92%*Hungarians - 5%*Romas - 2%*Germans under 1%....
, that was attested in this area in several documents from 1458 and 1462, and became the dominant noble family in Săliştea starting from 1508.
The village of Cioara is linked to Sofronie of Cioara
Sofronie of Cioara
Sofronie of Cioara is a Romanian Orthodox saint. He was an Eastern Orthodox monk who advocated for the freedom of worship of the Romanian population in Transylvania.-Early life:...
, the Eastern Orthodox
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
Monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
and Saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
of the Romanian Orthodox Church
Romanian Orthodox Church
The Romanian Orthodox Church is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church. It is in full communion with other Eastern Orthodox churches, and is ranked seventh in order of precedence. The Primate of the church has the title of Patriarch...
who, between the autumn of 1759 and the spring of 1761, led the peaceful uprising of the Romanian Orthodox population against the Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
policy of encouraging all Romanians to join the Greek-Catholic Church
Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek-Catholic
The Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek-Catholic is an Eastern Catholic Church which is in full union with the Roman Catholic Church. It is ranked as a Major Archiepiscopal Church and uses the Byzantine liturgical rite in the Romanian language....
. In 1701, the Emperor Leopold I
Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor
| style="float:right;" | Leopold I was a Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary and King of Bohemia. A member of the Habsburg family, he was the second son of Emperor Ferdinand III and his first wife, Maria Anna of Spain. His maternal grandparents were Philip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria...
decreed Transylvania's Orthodox Church to be one with the Roman Catholic Church. Sofronie's peaceful uprising advocated for freedom of worship and the right of the Romanian population in Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
to have a Romanian Orthodox bishop. As a response to Sofronie's movement, the Austrian military commander systematically destroyed the monasteries in Transylvania that had served as centres of the uprising, including the one in Cioara. In the end however, The Orthodox achieved a notable victory: recognition by the court of Vienna of the legal existence of their church and the appointment of a bishop in person of Dionisie Novacovic.
Several historians also showed the involvement of several villagers from Cioara in the Revolt of Horea, Cloşca and Crişan
Revolt of Horea, Closca and Crisan
The Revolt of Horea, Cloșca and Crișan began in Zarand County, Transylvania, but it soon spread all throughout the Apuseni Mountains...
and the Transylvanian Memorandum
Transylvanian Memorandum
The Transylvanian Memorandum was a petition sent in 1892 by the leaders of the Romanians of Transylvania to the Austro-Hungarian Emperor-King Franz Joseph, asking for equal ethnic rights with the Hungarians, and demanding an end to persecutions and Magyarization attempts.-Status:After the Ausgleich...
movement.
A number of 550 inhabitants of Cioara fought during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
in the Austro-Hungarian Army
Austro-Hungarian Army
The Austro-Hungarian Army was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint army , the Austrian Landwehr , and the Hungarian Honvédség .In the wake of fighting between the...
and most of them as volunteers in the Romanian Army in the second part of the war. Sixty-five of them were reported dead in action.
On 1 December 1918, the Alba Iulia
Alba Iulia
Alba Iulia is a city in Alba County, Transylvania, Romania with a population of 66,747, located on the Mureş River. Since the High Middle Ages, the city has been the seat of Transylvania's Roman Catholic diocese. Between 1541 and 1690 it was the capital of the Principality of Transylvania...
National Assembly proclaimed the Union of Transylvania with Romania
Union of Transylvania with Romania
Union of Transylvania with Romania was declared on by the assembly of the delegates of ethnic Romanians held in Alba Iulia.The national holiday of Romania, the Great Union Day occurring on December 1, commemorates this event...
. Several people from Cioara took part in the assembly, including the local priest, Constantin Oancea, who was one of the speakers in the Assembly.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, more than 250 people from Cioara fought in the Romanian Army, of which 45 died in action. After the war, 65 children from Bessarabia
Bessarabia
Bessarabia is a historical term for the geographic region in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the east and the Prut River on the west....
, including their teacher, found refuge in the commune.
The name of the commune was changed in 1965 from Cioara to Săliştea.
Population
According to the 2002 Census, there are 2,374 people living in Săliştea (100% Romanians), of which 1,252 in the centre of the commune, 745 in Tărtăria, 309 in Săliştea Deal and 77 in Mărgineni.Tărtăria tablets
The Tărtăria tabletsTartaria tablets
The Tărtăria tablets are three tablets, known since the late 19th century excavation at the Neolithic site of Turdaş in Transylvania Romania, by Zsófia Torma, which date to around 5300 BC...
were discovered in the village of Tărtăria, which is part of the Săliştea commune, in 1961 by a team of Romanian archaeologists led by Nicolae Vlassa.
Famous natives
- David Prodan (1902–1992), Romanian historian
- Sofronie of CioaraSofronie of CioaraSofronie of Cioara is a Romanian Orthodox saint. He was an Eastern Orthodox monk who advocated for the freedom of worship of the Romanian population in Transylvania.-Early life:...
, Eastern OrthodoxEastern Orthodox ChurchThe Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
MonkMonkA monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
and SaintSaintA saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
of the Romanian Orthodox ChurchRomanian Orthodox ChurchThe Romanian Orthodox Church is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church. It is in full communion with other Eastern Orthodox churches, and is ranked seventh in order of precedence. The Primate of the church has the title of Patriarch...