Valeriu Gafencu (en)

At the beginning of June 1951, after a rigorous medical examination, the majors of the General Directorate of Prisons decided to transfer a group of political prisoners from the Danube-Black Sea Canal to other facilities. In the van that took us to Târgu Ocna—a prison considered the “terminus”—there were ordinary prisoners who warned us that in this sanatorium, in the “counter-revolutionary” section, conditions were far from pleasant and that we should keep our mouths shut. This warning proved useful until I could distinguish friends from enemies. Suspicious occurrences were frequent in the precinct, and despite a relative freedom, most of […]

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During the years 1935–1938, I lived in the commune of Sângerei, Bălți County, where my father served as a civil servant. I was a student at the Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu Gymnasium in Chișinău, and I spent all my holidays in Sângerei, where I had a special friend, Valeriu Gafencu, a student at the I. Creangă Gymnasium in Bălți. As teenagers, we were in the process of forming our personalities. Vasile Gafencu, Valeriu’s father, belonged to a group of notable “peasants,” including Grigore Gafencu and Anton Crihan. Totally devoted to the movement for the annexation of Bessarabia within the Sfatului Țării, […]

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For me, Valeriu was a very special man. I had many discussions with him, and I admit—I am a bit impulsive: “What, boy, sometimes you have to throw a punch, and Christ got angry and threw a whip.” “You’re right, maybe sometimes, but it was Christ, not you.” There were moments that made one pause and reflect. In January 1952, I would visit him regularly, exchanging thoughts of value, not trivialities. He was in connection with others, some rebellious, some hostile, yet he sought reconciliation, embodying gentleness and the desire to live in harmony. Valeriu spoke to me about the […]

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The days passed slowly. Valeriu was filled with a quiet, inner joy. The torment had eased, and a luminous smile blossomed on his face. A spirit of profound peace spread around him. I approached him with confidence and hope. Our souls leaned against his breast and were strengthened. During the night of February 18, I remained awake—not in anger or fear, but in watchful anticipation. In the morning, I was dressed when the jailer opened the door. I left quietly, silently drawn by Valeriu. I felt that something was about to happen. On the stairs, I met a prison doctor […]

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The frequent relocations imposed by the administration, intended to break friendships and recruit informers, had an unintended benefit for us: they fostered new friendships and brought new information. Through these moves, we learned that Valeriu Gafencu had died in Pitesti (sic!). A law student arrested alongside the students of the Military High School in Iași in 1942, he was an exceptionally gifted young man and a perfect Christian. He resembled a character from Dostoyevsky—a soul who did not need to search for God, for God already resided within him. He arrived in Aiud in 1942; we had previously been at […]

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Valeriu Gafencu fully embodied a holy youth. I am certain that if the great bishop and martyr Ioan Suciu had met Valeriu Gafencu in prison, he would have compared him to Pier Giorgio Frassati, the Italian saint of our time, whose virtuous youth the bishop-writer described in a book as a model for the Christian youth of Romania. I hope that Valeriu Gafencu will likewise serve as an enduring example for young people. In comparison with Valeriu Gafencu, the symbol of legionary life in prisons, all those who populated the gallery of renegades appear as mere pygmies. (Fr. Liviu Brânzaș […]

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The central figure who shaped the spiritual life of the entire sanatorium was Valeriu Gafencu. Among the most seriously ill, he had remained bedridden since his transfer from Pitesti prison. Yet, despite his frailty, he became the heart of spiritual life in Târgu Ocna, radiating a profound Christian example that drew everyone to him. Since 1941–1942, a spiritual current had emerged in the prisons, guided and sustained by two prisoners—a lawyer and a doctor, Trifan and Marian. They lived with philosophical rigor, and were later joined by students Valeriu Gafencu and Ioan Ianolide, as well as by Marin Naidin and […]

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The young men in prison were far, far superior to the older inmates. Youth, after all, carries its own advantages: it is easier to face the end of life when one has not yet been burdened by its full span; passions burn more ardently, yet the spirit remains untainted; and the grievances, prejudices, and resentments that weigh heavily upon the older generation have not yet taken root. They were unscarred by the bitterness and rancor of age, free from the encumbrances of time—stupidity, failures, disappointments—confirming Robert Brasillach’s notion that it is better to die before the corrosive march of years […]

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Thank you, Lord, for giving me the opportunity to live with Valeriu Gafencu during the most tragic moments of my life. I was in Pitesti in May 1949 when I woke in the middle of the night to the sound of rattles, signaling intense activity. Suddenly, the door opened, and two colonels entered the cell, like two drops of water. They were accompanied by the jailer, accustomed to such scenes, who immediately began the inhuman search. Popescu Traian, Voinea Octavian, and Mircea Selten entered the cell. Valeriu Gafencu and I had been there for some time. With the hatred of […]

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Much could be written about the Gafencu family from Sângerei, Bălți, Basarabia—but who could be interested in our lives if not ourselves? With nearly 100 hectares of land and a household like no other, and with two parents who loved and respected each other deeply, we four children—Valeriu, Valentina, Eleonora, and Elisabeta—were the happiest until 1940. Then the Soviet occupation shattered our world. My father was deported to Siberia and disappeared without a trace. We never learned what became of him. He was an ideal husband and father, as fair and kind as one rarely encounters. My mother waited for […]

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Valeriu Gafencu came with us to Târgu Ocna—a man of extraordinary character who had reached the highest level of Christian life. He was from Bessarabia, the son of a National Council member who had demanded Bessarabia’s reunion with the motherland. In 1940, shortly after the Russian invasion, his father was deported and never heard from again. Valeriu, together with his mother and three sisters, fled to the countryside with only what they could carry. At the time, Valeriu was in his second year at the Faculty of Law in Iași. In 1941, he was sentenced to twenty-five years’ hard labour […]

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Valeriu Gafencu entered my consciousness suddenly and vividly. I was still free when I learned that in Aiud prison, and later in the work colony in the town of Galda, near Aiud, there was a young political prisoner whose Christian life radiated a benevolent force, affecting not only his fellow sufferers but everyone with whom he came into contact. He was, in many ways, a modern Paul who, in the midst of trials sent by God, never ceased to preach, encourage, and lift those around him toward Christian perfection. (…) In prison, Valeriu was not the only one living an […]

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I first met him at the work camp in Galda de Jos. There was a beautiful villa belonging to the nobleman Albini, perched on a hill overlooking the village, surrounded by acres of vineyards. Albini had a contract with the Aiud Penitentiary to manage the vineyards. Thus, a work colony was established in the manor house, populated by legionary prisoners sentenced by Ion Antonescu. In the summer of 1947, I visited this colony to see Gh. Grigoraș, from Bacău, serving a sentence of ten years’ hard labour. Andrei Bontaș and Constantin Pavlovici were also serving ten-year sentences. I was speaking […]

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Valeriu Gafencu – The Saint of Prisons Valeriu Gafencu, the son of a teacher and former deputy in the National Council, was a distinguished student from Bessarabia who had taken refuge in the Moldovan capital. He was widely recognized as the leader of the Brotherhood of the Cross in Iași, the youth organisation of the Legionary Movement. I first met him in 1941 during a volleyball match at the student hostel in Păcurari. At the time, I was a student at the military high school. Gafencu had no overtly political connections with us, because even during the brief period of […]

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I have had the opportunity of dramatic confrontations for the faith. I have known people who have reached human perfection, holiness, and martyrdom—but through a cruel sieve. I can honestly confess that I am a happy man because I have witnessed a man who lived, thought, smiled, suffered, and overcame through Christ. Among the legionaries brought to Aiud from all over the country, one stood out: tall, handsome, with deep blue eyes like the sky. His name was Valeriu Gafencu. He was born in Basarabia on Christmas Eve, 24 December 1920. His father, Vasile, was an intellectual who fought for […]

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Valeriu Gafencu – Testimony of His Sister, Valentina Elefteriu My name is Valentina Elefteriu, née Gafencu, the elder sister of Valeriu Gafencu. He was the first, then me, Eleonora, and Elisabeta. I will try to give a brief biographical note on the family. I was born in Sângereni in 1921, in a family that I could say was Christian. My father was a member of the National Council and fought for the union of Bessarabia with Romania, but he was deported in 1940, and I never heard from him again. I still do not know what became of him. Our […]

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This is the well-known name of a young Basarabian from Soroca, a graduate of a military high school. We first encountered him in Aiud in 1942. Handsome, tall, with lively blue eyes, he immediately drew my attention. Modest and deeply spiritual, he chose his readings and his companions with care, and he always sought to remain on the path of honour. Wherever there was something noble or beautiful to do, he was there. He was the young man whose presence inspired admiration every day. The dungeon was full of misdeeds and faults, yet he observed them with open eyes and […]

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Valeriu Gafencu? N. Steinhardt called him one of the saints of the prisons; Ion Ioanid, D. Bacu, and all who passed through the prisons speak of him. They all speak of him, whether from personal acquaintance or hearsay. I knew him personally, and I can affirm that what they said is true: he was exactly as described, without question or doubt. He was a hero-martyr, not defined by a single act of courage, but by a series of courageous acts performed daily, dying little by little every day, and always maintaining his Christian attitude. […] Valerius was an enthusiastic soul, […]

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After the Easter holidays of 1942, following the rejection of our appeal, a train carried us from Craiova prison to Aiud prison. The exhilaration of youth overshadowed any natural sadness that might have arisen from being separated from my family and the city of my early youth, which I had loved and still love. The eagerness to encounter a new world—both young and old, yet brimming with spiritual vitality and vast knowledge across diverse fields—dwarfed any regret for lost memories. The reasonable, civilized, and somewhat respectful welcome I received at Aiud did not dampen my optimism. My first acquaintances included […]

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February 1949. We were transferred from Jilava, from the “construction” site at the Polytechnic, to Pitești. Those of us assigned to hard labour were placed on the first floor, where the dreaded guard Georgescu “reigned.” There, we were met by a group of older prisoners from Antonescu’s era, including Romică Eutușanu, Ion Ianolide, Mârza, Valeriu Gafencu, and others. Among them, two of the so-called “mystics”—Ion Ianolide and Valeriu Gafencu—stood out, the latter in every respect. Tall, slightly stooped as if the burden of years in prison had already taken its toll, Gafencu wore a crocheted cap resembling a medieval knitted […]

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