Priest Florea Mureșan, at Suciu de Sus Parish in Maramureș

In 1952, Florea Mureșan, a prominent Orthodox priest in Cluj, began his ordeal.

He had distinguished himself through his zeal for authentic altar service, his dedication to the souls under his care, and his cultural concerns.

These qualities inevitably brought him into conflict with the communist authorities, who detained him administratively at the Canal between 1952 and 1953.

Father Florea Mureșan was deeply affected by his prison experience. He made a promise in his prayers that if he survived, he would erect an altar to the Lord in praise and thanksgiving.

After his release in 1953, Father Mureșan was refused reinstatement in Cluj.

He was given a parish in Suciu de Sus, Maramureș County.

He fulfilled his promise by building a hermitage in the name of the Holy Trinity in the place called ‘Breaza’. The priest’s dedication to the proper execution of religious services drew large crowds seeking spiritual healing, which posed a problem for the regime. State authorities quickly took action, and the priest was arrested again on the night of June 11-12, 1958. The author’s books were confiscated and labelled as ‘mystical’. He was accused of spreading ‘hostile propaganda’ and subjected to humiliation. He was forced to carry his ‘criminal materials’ on his back in two sacks while being whipped, and was sentenced to years in prison. He was forced to carry his ‘criminal materials’ on his back in two sacks while being whipped, and was sentenced to years in prison.

He was sentenced to heavy years in prison and sent to Aiud, and in 1961 he went to meet His beloved Maker.

(Adrian Nicolae Petcu – Lumina Newspaper)