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61-552: The city administers eight villages: Deleni-Obârșie ( Obursatanya ), Flitești, Izvoarele (until 1960 Ciufud ; Csufud ), Mănărade ( Monora ), Petrisat ( Magyarpéterfalva ), Spătac ( Szászpatak ), Tiur ( Tűr ), and Veza ( Véza ). The city was the principal religious and cultural center of the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church in Transylvania . Blaj is first mentioned in 1271 as Villa Herbordi , after

122-685: A Csa climate well inland to ensure hot summers and cold winters. They are generally found in the highly elevated areas of south-eastern Turkey ( Hakkâri ), north-western Iran, northern Iraq, parts of Central Asia , parts of the High Atlas mountain range in central Morocco and very small parts of the Intermountain West in the United States. This climate zone does not exist at all in the Southern Hemisphere, where

183-614: A classification). More extreme and inland humid continental climates, sometimes known as "hyper-continental" climates, are found in northeast China , southern Siberia , Mongolia , Kazakhstan , most of the southern interior of Canada , and the Upper Midwest , where temperatures in the winter resemble those of adjacent subarctic climates (with long, drier, generally very cold winters) but have longer and generally warmer summers (in occasional cases, hot summers). A more moderate variety, found in places like Honshu , east-central China,

244-519: A marked reduction in the numbers of Romanian Greek Catholic faithful. After 40 years of Communist rule and forced assimilation into the regime-approved Orthodox Church, numerous Romanian cradle Greek-Catholics remained in the Romanian Orthodox Church, at least on paper, and it is unclear how many of these nominal Orthodox members remain crypto-Catholic , especially in northern Transylvania where most Greek Catholics lived (as shown on

305-516: A marked reduction in wintry precipitation, which increases the chances of a wintertime drought ( w ). Snowfall occurs in all areas with a humid continental climate and in many such places is more common than rain during the height of winter. In places with sufficient wintertime precipitation, the snow cover is often deep. Most summer rainfall occurs during thunderstorms , and in North America and Asia an occasional tropical cyclone (or

366-739: A subarctic climate. In the Southern Hemisphere , it exists in well-defined areas only in the Southern Alps of New Zealand , in the Snowy Mountains of Australia in Kiandra, New South Wales and the Andes Mountains of Argentina and Chile . Since climate regimes tend to be dominated by vegetation of one region with relatively homogenous ecology, those that project climate change remap their results in

427-526: A thermal profile, but because of semi-arid precipitation portions of it are grouped into the BSk category. In Europe , it is found in much of Central Europe : Germany (in the east and southeast part of the country), Austria (generally below 700 m (2,297 ft)), Poland , Czech Republic , Slovakia , Hungary (generally above 100 m (328 ft)), Croatia (mostly Slavonia region), in much of Eastern Europe : Ukraine (the whole country except

488-742: Is a sui iuris Eastern Catholic Church , in full union with the Catholic Church . It has the rank of a Major Archiepiscopal Church and it uses the Byzantine liturgical rite in the Romanian language . It is part of the Major Archiepiscopal Churches of the Catholic Church that are not distinguished with a patriarchal title. Cardinal Lucian Mureșan , Archbishop of Făgăraș and Alba Iulia , has served as

549-447: Is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold (sometimes severely cold in the northern areas) and snowy winters. Precipitation is usually distributed throughout the year, but often these regions do have dry seasons. The definition of this climate in terms of temperature

610-442: Is as follows: the mean temperature of the coldest month must be below 0 °C (32.0 °F) or −3 °C (26.6 °F) depending on the isotherm, and there must be at least four months whose mean temperatures are at or above 10 °C (50 °F). In addition, the location in question must not be semi-arid or arid . The cooler Dfb , Dwb , and Dsb subtypes are also known as hemiboreal climates. Although amount of snowfall

671-784: Is facing a cultural and religious wipe-out: the Greek-Catholic churches are allegedly being destroyed by representatives of the Romanian Orthodox Church , whose actions allegedly enjoy not only the acceptance, but also the support of the Romanian authorities. Ecclesiastical Province of Fagaras and Alba Iulia Immediately subject to the Holy See 46°10′25″N 23°55′15″E  /  46.1735°N 23.9208°E  / 46.1735; 23.9208 Humid continental climate A humid continental climate

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732-521: Is found in northern Kazakhstan , southern Siberia , parts of Mongolia , northern China , and highland elevations in the Koreas . Like its hot-summer counterpart, these climates are typically dry in the winter and bitterly cold due to the Siberian High (often with winter temperatures comparable to their nearby subarctic climates ), while summers are warm and long enough to avoid classification as

793-467: Is less extreme than the most inland hyper-continental variety. Using the Köppen climate classification , a climate is classified as humid continental when the temperature of the coldest month is below 0 °C [32.0 °F] or −3 °C [26.6 °F] and there must be at least four months whose mean temperatures are at or above 10 °C (50 °F). These temperatures were not arbitrary. In Europe,

854-565: Is less seasonally uniform in the west. The western states of the western United States (namely Montana , Wyoming , parts of southern Idaho , most of Lincoln County in Eastern Washington , parts of Colorado , parts of Utah , isolated parts of northern New Mexico , western Nebraska , and parts of western North and South Dakota ) have thermal regimes which fit the Dfa climate type, but are quite dry, and are generally grouped with

915-404: Is not a factor used in defining the humid continental climate, snow during the winter in this type of climate is almost a guarantee, either intermittently throughout the winter months near the poleward or coastal margins, or persistently throughout the winter months elsewhere in the climate zone. Humid continental climates are generally found between latitudes 40° N and 60° N , within

976-724: Is noted during the autumn of deciduous forests. In the poleward direction, these climates transition into subarctic climates featuring short summers (and usually very cold winters) allowing only conifer trees. Moving equatorword, the hot-summer continental climates grade into humid subtropical climates (chiefly in North America and Asia) while the warm-summer continental climates grade into oceanic climates (chiefly in Europe), both of which have milder winters where average temperatures stay above 0°C (or -3°C). Some continental climates with lower precipitation (chiefly in Central Asia and

1037-701: Is to be found in northern China including Manchuria and parts of North China , south-east Russia , and over much of the Korean Peninsula ; it has the Köppen classification Dwa . Much of central Asia , northwestern China , and southern Mongolia has a thermal regime similar to that of the Dfa climate type, but these regions receive so little precipitation that they are more often classified as steppes ( BSk ) or deserts ( BWk ). Dsa climates are rare; they are generally restricted to elevated areas adjacent to mid-latitude Mediterranean climate regions with

1098-698: The Black Sea coast), Belarus , Russia (mostly central part of European Russia ), south and central parts of the Nordic countries not bathed by the Atlantic Ocean or North Sea : Sweden (historical regions of Svealand and Götaland ), Denmark , Finland (south end, including the three largest cities ), Norway (most populated area), all Baltic States : Estonia , Latvia , Lithuania and also in parts of: Romania (generally above 100 m (328 ft)), Bosnia and Herzegovina , Turkey and in

1159-482: The Cairngorm Mountains of Scotland , (generally above 100 m (328 ft)). It has little warming or precipitation effects from the northern Atlantic. The cool summer subtype is marked by mild summers, long cold winters and less precipitation than the hot summer subtype; however, short periods of extreme heat are not uncommon. Northern Japan has a similar climate. In Asia, this climate type

1220-484: The Dfa climate type is present near the Black Sea in southern Ukraine , the Southern Federal District of Russia , southern Moldova , Serbia , parts of southern Romania , and Bulgaria , but tends to be drier and can be even semi-arid in these places. In East Asia, this climate exhibits a monsoonal tendency with much higher precipitation in summer than in winter, and due to the effects of

1281-820: The Inochentie Micu Clain National College , the Ștefan Manciulea Technological High School  [ ro ] , and the Sfântul Vasile cel Mare Greek-Catholic Theological High School . The castle of the Bethlen dynasty is a popular tourist site near Blaj. Other sights worth visiting include the Metropolitan Palace, the Holy Trinity Cathedral , the " Buna Vestire " Monastery, the Greeks' Church ,

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1342-528: The Jesuits in Transylvania (second time), who attempted to align this province more closely with Western Europe. However, Orthodox Serbian authority and Protestant Transylvanian nobility were not willing to accept Romanians Orthodox converts, and this in turn led to the formation of Romanian Orthodox movements that advocated for freedom of worship for the entire Transylvanian population – most notable

1403-538: The Korean Peninsula , parts of Eastern Europe , parts of southern Ontario , much of the American Midwest , and the Northeast US , the climate combines hotter summer maxima and greater humidity (similar to those found in adjacent humid subtropical climates ) and moderately cold winters and more intermittent snow cover (averaging somewhat below freezing, too cold for a more temperate classification), and

1464-617: The Pope , while at the same time being granted the right to keep their own Greek Byzantine liturgical rite . A diploma issued by the Emperor Leopold I declared that Transylvania's Romanian Orthodox Church is one with the Catholic Church and Holy See . Transylvanian Romanians were therefore encouraged to convert to Catholicism and join to the Romanian Unified Church (Greek-Catholic Church), while being able to retain

1525-531: The Romanian Orthodox Church , while the remainder of those properties were confiscated by the Romanian State. The Greek-Catholic bishops, along with many of their priests, were accused by the newly installed Communist authorities of "antidemocratic activity". After refusing to give up their ties with the "reactionary" Holy See , they were imprisoned. At about the same time, the Orthodox Church

1586-519: The "Liberty Field", and Avram Iancu 's oak. Blaj is twinned with: Blaj has a humid continental climate ( Cfb in the Köppen climate classification ). The city has a continental temperate climate, characteristic for the Transylvanian Plateau , with moderate precipitations of around 550 mm/m. Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek-Catholic The Romanian Greek Catholic Church or Romanian Church United with Rome

1647-592: The 250th anniversary of the Romanian Greek Catholic Union with the Catholic Church, the regime arranged for the "voluntary" and "spontaneous" transfer of all members of the Greek-Catholic Church (decree 358/1948), that numbered more than 1,500,000 at the time, to the Romanian Orthodox Church ; furthermore, the property rights over many of the Greek-Catholic Church's possessions, including its four cathedrals, were transferred to

1708-770: The Bishop of Făgăraș and head of the Romanian Greek Catholic Church, translated Biblia Vulgata into Romanian. While the Romanian Orthodox kept Church Slavonic as the official liturgical language till 1863, the Romanian Church United with Rome has been using the Romanian vernacular ever since its inception. In the 19th century, during a time when the Hungarian government was pursuing a Magyarization policy in Transylvania,

1769-768: The Byzantine rite, if at the same time they accepted four doctrinal points promulgated by the Council of Florence (1431 and 1445): the supreme authority of the Pope over the entire church; the existence of Purgatory ; the Filioque clause ; and the validity of the use of unleavened bread in the celebration of the Eucharist in the Latin Church (Eastern Orthodox had contended that Latin Catholic use of unleavened bread

1830-591: The Canadian Prairie Provinces and below 40°N in the high Appalachians . In Europe, this subtype reaches its most northerly latitude in Bodø at the 67°N . High-altitude locations such as Flagstaff, Arizona , Aspen, Colorado and Los Alamos, New Mexico in the western United States exhibit local Dfb climates. The south-central and southwestern Prairie Provinces also fits the Dfb criteria from

1891-840: The Great of Bucharest ), as well as one eparchy overseas, the Romanian Catholic Eparchy of St George's in Canton , answering directly to the Major Archbishop and the Holy See, in the United States of America and Canada . According to data published in the 2016 Annuario Pontificio , the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church had 504,280 members, 8 bishops, 1,225 parishes, some 835 diocesan priests and 235 seminarians of its own rite at

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1952-760: The Greek Catholic Church. The vast majority of the Romanian diocesan priests in Romania are married . In addition, there are five other Catholic dioceses in Romania , belonging to the Latin Church , whose members are more numerous. Following the Habsburg conquest of Transylvania in 1687, Metropolitan Atanasie Anghel entered into full communion with the See of Rome by the Act of Union of 1698, that

2013-543: The Greek-Catholic Church) as repugnant and bringing grave prejudice upon the Romanian state. Only after much struggle and considerable delays, some of the Church's properties, in particular the cathedrals of Cluj, Blaj, Lugoj, and Oradea, were restored to their rightful owner. However, much of the original property remains in Romanian Orthodox or government hands, as the persecution started in 1948 has led to

2074-675: The Romanian Greek-Catholic Church, with the aid of the Transylvanian School (Școala Ardeleană) and the Transylvanian Memorandum , played a prominent role in resisting ethnic assimilation attempts. Moreover, many leading figures of the Romanian emancipation movement in Transylvania, such as Simion Bărnuțiu and Iuliu Maniu , began their careers as lay servants of the Greek-Catholic Church. Additional Greek-Catholic Eparchies were eventually set up at Oradea (1777), as well as Gherla and Lugoj (1853); Blaj, under

2135-547: The Western United States) grade into semi-arid climates with similar temperatures but low precipitation. A hot summer version of a continental climate features an average temperature of at least 22 °C (71.6 °F) in its warmest month. Since these regimes are restricted to the Northern Hemisphere, the warmest month is usually July or August. High temperatures during the warmest month tend to be in

2196-420: The central and northeastern portions of North America , Europe , and Asia . Occasionally, they can also be found at higher elevations above other more temperate climate types. They are rare in the Southern Hemisphere , limited to isolated high altitude locations, due to the larger ocean area at that latitude, smaller land mass, and the consequent greater maritime moderation. In the Northern Hemisphere, some of

2257-459: The classification symbol defines seasonal rainfall as follows: while the third letter denotes the extent of summer heat: Within North America, moisture within this climate regime is supplied by the Great Lakes , Gulf of Mexico and adjacent western subtropical Atlantic . Precipitation is relatively well distributed year-round in many areas with this climate ( f ), while others may see

2318-425: The continents either do not penetrate low enough in latitude or taper too much to have any place that gets the combination of snowy winters and hot summers. Marine influences are very strong around 40°S and such preclude Dfa , Dwa , and Dsa climates from existing in the southern hemisphere. Also known as hemiboreal climate , areas featuring this subtype of the continental climate have an average temperature in

2379-542: The deed of a Count Herbod. In 1313, the domain passed to Herbod's son Blasius Cserei and the town was mentioned as Blasii . Started as a hamlet for the twenty families of servants of the noble's court, it was awarded town status on May 19, 1737. Blaj is the principal religious and cultural center of Greek Catholics in Transylvania. At 27 October 1687 begins the history of the Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek-Catholic , history directly connected to

2440-465: The end of 2012. However, according to the 2011 Romanian government census, the number of its followers living in Romania was as low as 150,593, of whom 124,563 are ethnic Romanians. By 2022, however, the church estimated their numbers have grown to 488,000, as many citizens whose ancestors had converted to Orthodoxy or embraced Marxist-Leninist atheism under the Communist regime have chosen to rejoin

2501-656: The head of the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church since 1994. On December 16, 2005, as the Romanian Church United with Rome , the Greek-Catholic church was elevated to the rank of a Major Archiepiscopal Church by Pope Benedict XVI , with Lucian Mureșan becoming its first major archbishop . Mureşan was made a cardinal, at the consistory of February 18, 2012. Besides the Archeparchy of Făgăraș and Alba Iulia, there are five more Greek-Catholic eparchies in Romania ( Eparchy of Oradea Mare , Eparchy of Cluj-Gherla , Eparchy of Lugoj , Eparchy of Maramureș , and Eparchy of Saint Basil

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2562-526: The high 20s to low 30s °C (80s °F), while average January afternoon temperatures are near or well below freezing. Frost-free periods typically last 4 to 7 months in this climate regime. Within North America , this climate includes portions of the central and eastern United States from east of 100°W to south of about the 44°N to the Atlantic . Precipitation increases further eastward in this zone and

2623-527: The history of the town Blaj. It all started at the end of the treaty through which Transylvania was entering under the protection of Austria , renouncing the protection of the Turkish Empire . The first public school in Romanian was established in Blaj in 1754. Blaj was the first place to have Romanian written with Latin alphabet instead of Cyrillic in which it had traditionally been written. Blaj

2684-439: The humid continental climate covers a much larger area than the hot subtype. In North America, the climate zone covers from about 42°N to 50°N latitude mostly east of 100°W , including parts of Southern Ontario , the southern half of Quebec , The Maritimes , and Newfoundland , as well as the northern United States from eastern North Dakota east to Maine . However, it can be found as far north as 54°N , and further west in

2745-474: The humid continental climates, typically in around Hokkaido , Sakhalin Island , northeastern mainland Europe , Scandinavia , Nova Scotia , and Newfoundland are closer to the sea and heavily maritime-influenced and comparable to oceanic climates , with relatively cool summers, significant year-round precipitation (including high amounts of snow) and winters being just below the freezing mark (too cold for such

2806-879: The lands would be stolen from them. Blaj lies at the confluence of the Târnava Mare and Târnava Mică rivers, where they form the Târnava River . It is located 39 km (24 mi) northeast of the county seat, Alba Iulia , in a renowned wine-growing region. At the 2021 census , Blaj had a population of 17,816. At the 2011 census , the city had a population of 20,630, of which 16,779 (83.78%) were Romanians , 1,305 (6.51%) Hungarians , 1,850 (9.23%) Romani , and 45 (0.22%) Germans . In terms of religious affiliation, 14,784 (71.19%) were Romanian Orthodox , 2,732 (13.24%) Greek-Catholic , 744 (3.58%) Roman Catholic , 985 Reformed Church , 408 Baptist , and 220 Pentecostal . The city has several high schools, including

2867-572: The maps to the right). Other Greek Catholic Romanians switched to the Latin Church, and now account for the second-largest group in that denomination after Hungarians. The Romanian Church United with Rome is still undergoing a process of recovery from the wounds inflicted by the Communist rulers and the forced merger. Since the fall of Communism, Church leaders have claimed that the Romanian Greek-Catholic Community

2928-429: The movements led by serbian monk Visarion Sarai, Nicolae Oprea Miclăuş, and the bosniac monk Sofronie of Cioara , under the influence of the dominant Serbian Orthodox Church. In 1721, the Bishop's Residence was moved from Alba Iulia to Făgăraș , and eventually to Blaj (1737). Following this change, Blaj became a center of learning and national awakening for all Romanians. . In 1761, Petru Pavel Aron (1709–1764),

2989-400: The official successor of the Romanian Orthodox Patriarch himself. Consequently, Hossu remained under house arrest. Year after year, he sent Memorandums to the President of the Republic, requesting that the country's laws and international agreements be observed with regard to the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church. In 1969, Pope Paul VI asked Hossu to allow himself to be made a cardinal . As Hossu

3050-537: The remnants thereof). Though humidity levels are often high in locations with humid continental climates, the "humid" designation means that the climate is not dry enough to be classified as semi-arid or arid . By definition, forests thrive within this climate. Biomes within this climate regime include temperate woodlands, temperate grasslands, temperate deciduous or evergreen forests, coniferous forests, and coniferous swamps. Within wetter areas, maple , spruce , pine , fir , and oak can be found. Fall foliage

3111-463: The steppe ( BSk ) climates. In the eastern and Midwestern United States, Pennsylvania , Ohio , Illinois , Indiana , southern New York , most of Connecticut and Rhode Island , and eastern Massachusetts fall into the hot-summer humid continental climate. In Canada, this climate type exists only over portions of Southern Ontario . In the Eastern Hemisphere, this climate regime is found within interior Eurasia and east-central Asia. Within Europe,

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3172-488: The strong Siberian High much colder winter temperatures than similar latitudes around the world, however with lower snowfall, the exception being western Japan with its heavy snowfall. Tōhoku , between Tokyo and Hokkaidō and Western coast of Japan also has a climate with Köppen classification Dfa , but is wetter even than that part of North America with this climate type. A variant which has dry winters and hence relatively lower snowfall with monsoonal type summer rainfall

3233-422: The title of Eparchy of Alba Iulia and Făgăraș, became the Metropolitan (i.e. Archiepiscopal) See. On December 16, 2005, the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church was elevated to the rank of Major Archiepiscopal Church . After assuming political power in 1948, the Communist regime , rooted in Marxist–Leninist atheism , deposed all 12 bishops of the Greek-Catholic Church on Stalin's orders. Moreover, on October 21, 1948,

3294-435: The warmest month below 22 °C (72 °F). Summer high temperatures in this zone typically average between 21–28 °C (70–82 °F) during the daytime and the average temperatures in the coldest month are generally well or far below the −3 °C (27 °F) (or 0 °C (32.0 °F)) isotherm. Frost-free periods typically last 3–5 months. Heat spells lasting over a week are rare. The warm summer version of

3355-455: The −3 °C (27 °F) average temperature isotherm (line of equal temperature) was near the southern extent of winter snowpack . In the United States, it is more common to use the 0 °C [32.0 °F] isotherm instead. The 10 °C (50 °F) average temperature was found to be roughly the minimum temperature necessary for tree reproduction and growth. Wide temperature ranges are common within this climate zone. Second letter in

3416-418: Was also a center for the Romanian Age of Enlightenment , being the founding site of the Transylvanian School that promoted the Roman cultural heritage of the Romanians. Thus Blaj gained the nickname "The Little Rome", as Romania's national poet Mihai Eminescu called it. In 1848, Câmpia Libertății in Blaj was where over 40,000 Romanians met to protest Transylvania becoming a part of Hungary, holding that

3477-464: Was being "purged" of priests hostile to the Communist regime. Following this purge, the Orthodox hierarchy enjoyed good and unforced relations with the Communist authorities for the remainder of the Communist Rule of Romania . Iuliu Hossu , Bishop of Cluj , turned down a proposal of the Romanian Orthodox Patriarch, Iustinian Marina , to convert to Orthodoxy and be named Orthodox Archbishop of Iaşi and metropolitan of Moldavia , and thereby become

3538-399: Was erroneous). The step undertaken by Metropolitan Atanasie Anghel and his Holy Synod obtained for the ethnic Romanians of Transylvania (then part of the Habsburg monarchy ) equal rights with those of the other Transylvanian nations, which were part of the Unio Trium Nationum : the Hungarian nobility, the Transylvanian Saxons , and the Székely . This event coincided with the arrival of

3599-414: Was formalized by a synod of bishops on September 4, 1700. This was part of the process the unification of the Romanian Orthodox population to the Catholic Church (Rome's Church) newly created Greek Catholic Church, the former Orthodox Church of Romanians from Transylvania . By entering into the Union, Atanasie and the other bishops, along with their respective dioceses, accepted the supreme authority of

3660-447: Was granted amnesty in 1964. On March 14, 1990, after the fall of the Communist regime , he was appointed Archbishop of Făgăraș and Alba Iulia, and was made a cardinal the following year. After more than 40 years of clandestine existence, the Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek-Catholic re-emerged publicly, in the wake of the Romanian Revolution . Normative Act 9/31, passed on December 31, 1989, repealed Decree 358/1948 (that outlawed

3721-431: Was reluctant to leave Romania, the pope made him a cardinal only "in pectore" , i.e. without publishing the fact, and this was only revealed on March 5, 1973, three years after Hossu's death. Another remarkable Romanian Greek-Catholic ecclesiastic of the time was Alexandru Todea (1912–2002). Secretly consecrated a bishop on November 19, 1950, he was arrested and the following year he was sentenced to life in prison. He

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