Ioan I. Movilă was born 1846 in Bucharest, Romania and died 13 January 1904 Bucharest, Romania of unspecified causes.
Early years
Ioan Movilă was born in Bucharest in 1848. Some biographies claim that he was a descendant of the Movilă family of Moldavia. This contradicts the assessment of genealogist Octav-George Lecca who states that this family had been extinct for over a century.
Ioan Movilă studied law in Italy, getting a doctor's degree. Returning to Romania, he was appointed prosecutor and after that judge at the tribunal of Vlaşca County. He was thereafter promoted president of the tribunal of Galaţi. Entering politics, he was elected member of the Chamber of Deputies of Romania and was appointed prefect of Brăila County.
Development of the Carmen Sylva resort
After an English physician informed him about the therapeutic qualities of the mud of Lake Techirghiol, which had been analyzed in specialized laboratories of the United Kingdom, in the late 1880s, Ioan Movilă sells all his assets and acquires land on the seaside, starting to develop the sea side resort. He acquired the greater part of the land along the Black Sea shore now on which today's Eforie Sud is located as well as other properties near Lake Techirghiol and near the cities of Constanţa and Mangalia, making him the wealthiest landowner of the area. Part of this land was purchased from the heirs of Mihail Kogălniceanu, another part was purchased from the Romanian government.
His first intentions were very clear: to develop a town located on the shores of Lake Techirghiol and to make use of the therapeutic qualities of the lake's mud. He started by designing the water supply, sewage system and electric lighting of the city. Besides the buildings designed to accommodate the tourists and the locals he also designed the towns school and church, as well as a theater, which he could not complete before his death. He then built the first two hotels of the resort.
On September 20, 1899, he was able to inaugurate the resort bearing his name: Movila-Techighiol. However, he died a few years later, on January 13, 1904. The efforts of developing the area were continued by his wife Elena Melisianu.
Interment
Ioan Movilă was buried in Bucharest, at Bellu Cemetery.
The Ioan Movila collections
Ioan Movila was also an art collector. He was able to purchase many paintings of Romanian and foreign artists. In his purchases he often asked for the advice of painter Ştefan Luchian to whom he was related. After his death he bequeathed his entire collection to the "Pinacotheca of the Bucharest Municipality" (now part of the Museum of the Bucharest Municipality). The condition of the bequest was that the paintings be kept together as a collection and be located in two separate rooms. Unfortunately, the Pinacotheca did not comply to these conditions. Part of the paintings were stolen or dispersed to other museums. Ioan Movila's heirs sued and requested either compliance with the donor's conditions or restitution of the collection. The law suit was delayed because of World War II and finally the communist authorities confiscated the paintings and disposed of them at their will. At present, this valuable collection does not exist any more.
Ioan Movilă also had a collection of old manuscripts, among which one of the first Collection of Laws of voivode Vasile Lupu as well as a numismatic collection which were donated to the Romanian Academy.
Recognition
A statue of Ioan I. Movilă, financed by public donations, was commissioned by his son Sever Movilă and was made by Theodor Burcă which was installed facing the sea, in front of levee at the end of the beach. A documentary film on the inauguration of the monument on Aug. 29, 1926 was directed by Nicolae Barbelian, which also presented the achievements of Ioan Movilă. The statue was left in disrepair by the communist authorities but was restored in 2006 and is at present located in the square, in front of the Parc Hotel of Eforie Sud.
IoanMovila doarme in vesnicia bisericii din Carmen SylvaIoan Movila murise la 13 ianuarie 1904 si fusese ingropat in cimitirul Bellu din Bucuresti. In 1923 se constituise comitetul pentru terminarea bisericii din Carmen Sylva, al carui presedinte este ales Sever Movila. Dovada ca familia saracise si incepuse declinul este ca nu se reuseste decat foarte tarziu terminarea lucrarilor. In 1935, Sever solicita episcopului Gherontie acceptul pentru a muta osemintele tatalui sau la biserica din Carmen Sylva, construita din initiativa si la indemnul mamei sale, Elena Movila. Cu adresa 3556 din 2 august 1935 se aproba aceasta stramutare. Sfintirea bisericii "Nasterea Sfantului Ioan Botezatorul" din Carmen Sylva-Bai a avut loc la 25 august 1935. Programul solemnitatii religioase, semnat de episcopul Gherontie al Tomisului, a inceput la 24 august, ora 4, cu slujba de vecernie savarsita de P.C. vicar al Sfintei Episcopii, Daniil, insotit de doi diaconi si preotii din Tuzla si Techirghiol-bai. A doua zi, duminica, 25 august, a avut loc primirea in mantie a episcopului Gherontie. Intreaga slujba de sfintire este inchinata ctitorului bisericii si al statiunii, Ioan Movila. Astfel, in timp ce muzica militara intona pentru onor, cei doi preoti purtau pe umeri osemintele lui Ioan Movila, pe care le-au depus in pronaos, apoi sarcofagul in cripta. Din partea familiei, Sever Movila multumea locuitorilor. Seara, un praznic la Cazinoul din Constanta punea capat momentului de crestina sarbatoare.Pe piatra funerara sta scris in eternitate: "Cu Voia Tatalui, cu impreuna lucrarea Fiului si cu Savarsirea Sfantului Duh, pusu-s-a locas cu Hramul Nasterea Sfantului proroc; inainte mergatorul si botezatorul Ioan, in 1913. Locul daruit de bunul crestin si roman Ioan Movila. Ctitor si intemeietor al orasului si bailor Carmen Sylva, judetul Constanta. Din cauza razboiului l mondial si a urmarilor lui insa s-a terminat abia in anul 1935.Cu osardia si cheltuiala vaduvei ctitorului, Doamna Elena I. Movila, si a fiului lor Sever si a sotiei sale Alina, a doamnei Maria Sachelarie, Lya colonel Harjeu si Eliza, profesor universitar Burileanu, a autoritatilor comunale in frunte cu dl. prof. dr. Gheorghiu, rectorul Universitatii din Bucuresti si primar al orasului Carmen Sylva, precum si cu ajutorul multor buni crestini sfintirea s-a slujit de Prea Sfintia Sa Domn Gherontie Nicolau, Episcopul Eparhiei Constantei (vechiul Tomis si Durostorului) la 25 august, anul mantuirii una mie noua sute treizeci si cinci, iar al pastoriei sale al zecelea.Cu aceasta ocazie, s-au adus din Cimitirul Bellu din Bucuresti osemintele ctitorului Ioan Movila si dupa sfanta liturghie si parastasul cuvenit s-au asezat spre vesnica odihna, in cripta din dreapta sfintei Biserici, sub placa de marmura cu inscriptie. O candela pururi aprinsa va simboliza dragostea familiei si recunostinta credinciosilor pentru el. 1935, august 25".Si o alta inscriptie alaturi de o semnatura, Antonio Ruta, Constanta, probabil autorul complexului funerar din biserica: bust in bronz al lui Caton Movila, cel de-al treilea fiu, doua placi memoriale, fresca in secco cu portretele celor doi soti Movila.O mosie pentru edili intreprinzatoriLa 27 august 1935, primarul prof. dr. N. Gheorghiu, un bucurestean extrem de inventiv, inscrie statiunea Carmen Sylva in Asociatia statiunilor balneare maritime.
References
- Monumentul Ion Movila
- Aurelia Lăpuşan - Mostenirile lui Movila au fost donate domeniului public inainte de a fi nationalizate - Ziua de Constanţa 11 iulie 2006
- Aurelia Lăpuşan - Ivonna Movila, in 1999 "Viata mea a fost si a ramas un lung proces de restitutio" - Ziua de Constanţa 4 iulie 2006
Children
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Ecaterina Movilă | |||
| Felicia Movilă | |||
| Sever Movilă (c1890-c1960) | 1890 Romania | 1960 Romania | |
| Jules Movilă (?-1946) | |||
| Caton Movilă | |||
| Elena Movilă (c1895-c1965) | |||
| Cornelia Movilă | |||