{{cleanup}}Father [[Image:Elder_cleopa.jpg‎|thumb|Elder Cleopa]] '''Elder Cleopa (Ilie)''' ([[April 10 April]] [[, 1912]] - [[December 2 December]] , 1998) was a very well-known monk and representative of the [[1998Romanian Orthodox Church]]) was and an [[archimandrite]] and [[abbot]] of the Sihastria [[Monastery]]. He was a well-known spiritual representative of the [[Romanian Orthodox Church]].

[[Image:MORMNT~1.JPG|thumb|Grave at [[Sihăstria Monastery]]]]Cleopa Ilie (lay name: Constantin) was born in [[Suliţa, Botoşani]] to a family of peasants. He was the fifth of ten children born to Alexandru Ilie. He attended the primary school in his village. Afterwards he was an apprentice for three years to the monk Paisie Olaru, who lived in [[seclusion]] at the Cozancea [[Hermitage (religious retreat)|hermitage]].

Together with his elder brother, Vasile, Ilie joined the community at Sihastria hermitage in December 1929. In 1935, he joined the army in the town of [[Botoşani]], but returned a year later to the hermitage, where he was anointed a [[monk]] on [[August 2 August]] [[, 1937]], taking the name "Cleopa" (i.e. "guide") at his [[baptism]]. In June 1942, he was appointed to [[hegumen]] deputy because of abbot Ioanichie Moroi's poor health.

On [[December 27 December]] [[, 1944]], he was ordained a [[hierodeacon]] (deacon-monk) and on [[January 23 January]] [[, 1945]] a [[hieromonk]] (priest-monk) by the archbishop Galaction Cordun, abbot of the [[Neamţ Monastery]] at the time. Afterwards he was officially appointed hegumen of the Sihastria Hermitage.

[[Image:MORMNT~1.JPG|thumb|Grave at Sihăstria Monastery]]In 1947, the hermitage became a monastery and vice-[[archimandrite]] Cleopa Ilie became archimandrite on approval of [[Nicodim Munteanu|Patriarch Nicodim]]. Because the [[Communist]] [[secret service]] was looking for him in 1948, he disappeared into the woods surrounding the monastery, staying there for six months. On [[August 30 August]] [[, 1949]], he was appointed abbot of the Slatina Monastery in [[Suceava]] county, where he joined 30 other monks from the Sihastria Monastery community as a result of [[Justinian Marina|Patriarch Justinian]]’s Justinian’s decision.

There he founded a community of monks with over 80 people. Between 1952 and 1954 he was being chased again by the [[Securitate]] and, together with hieromonk Arsenie Papacioc, escaped to the Stanisoara Mountains. He was brought back to the monastery after two years upon Patriarch Justinian’s order.

In 1956 he returned to Sihastria monastery, where he had been anointed, and in the spring of 1959 he retired for the third time to the [[Neamţ County|Neamţ]] Mountains, spending the next five years there. He returned to Sihastria in the fall of 1964, as [[confessor]] for the entire community and continued to give spiritual advice to both monks and lay people for the next 34 years. He died on [[December 2 December]] [[, 1998]] at Sihăstria Monastery.

* [http://agonia.ro/index.php/author/0010920/page/1/Cleopa%20Ilie Short biography (in Romanian)]* [http://www.uncutmountain.com/index.php/uncut/pages/C33/ Detailed biographical information in English]* [http://www.orthodoxphotos.com/Orthodox_Elders/Romanian/Fr._Cleopa_Ilie/ Photos & some biographical information in English]'''YouTube Videos of Elder Cleopa'''* [http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=I3RwPwvh8uA Orthodox Elder Cleopa - On prayer]* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUDjhiScF2w Interview with Cleopa Ilie (in Romanian), part 1]* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOGXdLoNl2w Cleopa Ilie on prayer (in Romanian with English subtitles)]

[http[Category://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUDjhiScF2w Interview with Cleopa Ilie (in Romanian), part 1Monastics]][[Category:Elders]]

[http://agonia.ro/index.php/author/0010920/page/1/Cleopa%20Ilie Short biography (in Romanian)] [http://www.uncutmountain.com/index.php/uncut/pages/C33/ Detailed biographical information in English] [http://www.orthodoxphotos.com/Orthodox_Elders/Romanian/Fr._Cleopa_Ilie/ Photos & some biographical information in English] [httppt://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOGXdLoNl2w Cleopa Ilie on prayer (in Romanian with English subtitles)] ==Source==http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cleopa_Ilie [[Category:Monastics]]