Metropolitan Iacob Stamati was born on 24 June 1749, in Transylvania, in the region of Bistrita. When 11 years old, the young Transylvanian crossed the mountains to the Monastery of Neamț. Young Iacob Stamati came to Moldova in 1760. Till he became a monk (3 April 1764), he spent a period of apprenticeship. On 3 April 1764, he was tonsured into monasticism, after ending the three years of apprenticeship, when he proved firm determination to dress the vestment of the service of God and of his fellow beings. Soon after, he distinguished himself within the community of about 50 monks and was elected administrator of the monastery. Due to his good achievements in this period, Metropolitan Gavriil Callimchi (1760 – 1786) would call Iacob to Iași and entrust him an administrative position, that of “dichiu”, namely administrator of the metropolitan estates. The political, social, church and cultural atmosphere in which he began his activity gave Iacob the opportunity to continue his scholarly training at the Monastery of Neamț, through the contact with the people and cultural institutions of the time, in parallel with his affirmation in the religious life of the time. He knew the cultural activity of the ruling princes and was familiar with that of the Moldavian hierarchs whom he had around. The period he spent as Bishop of Huși (1782 – 1792) represented for Iacob Stamati the challenge to change a poor diocese into a “garden of Moldova”. He was exacting with the knowledge of the priests and deacons he ordained; he addressed beautiful words of teaching to the eparchy through pastoral letters that cover chronologically the entire period spent at Huși; he was very keen to provide all the churches with books necessary for culture. Iacob was the reorganizer of the school of the diocese, taking good care of it, as much as material conditions and the hostilities of the time allowed him to do. He supported young men at study, one of them being Vasile Costachi, the future Metropolitan Veniamin. In 1792, he is elected metropolitan and spiritual father of Moldova. Metropolitan Iacob served the Church of Moldova for 11 more years, turning out to be a true servant and administrator of the house of God. One of his achievements was the construction of the Metropolitan Palace kept till today in the form re-made in the time of Metropolitan Partenie Clinceni, at the beginning of the 20th century (1902 – 1904). Metropolitan Iacob Stamati is considered the hierarch most dedicated to education in the 18th century in Moldova. After setting up a printing press, he had many church books printed, books of rite, apologetic books for defending the Orthodox faith and didactic schools for the public schools. So, he printed the Gospel, Liturgical Book and the Psalter Book (1794), The Apostle (1795) a.s.o. Some of the didactic books printed for children were: The Theological Grammar, The Moldavian Geography and Arithmetic (1795?), translated by the cultivated bishop Amfilohie Hotinu.
11/12 March 1803 – Metropolitan IACOB STAMATI of Moldova passed away
