Miron Cristea

Miron Cristea (monastic name of Elie Cristea; July 20, 1868-March 6, 1939) was an Austro-Hungarian-born Romanian cleric, politician and Freemason.

A bishop in Hungarian-ruled Transylvania, Cristea was elected Metropolitan-Primate of the Orthodox Church of the newly unified Greater Romania in 1919. As the Church was raised to a rank of Patriarchy, Miron Cristea was enthroned as the first Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church in 1925.

In 1938, Carol II banned political parties and established a royal dictatorship, choosing Miron Cristea to be the Prime Minister of Romania, a position from which he served for about a year, between February 11, 1938 and his death.