The presented work, bearing a suggestive title:„Biserici construite in judetul Constanta in perioada 1878-1923” ("Churches built in Constanta county during 1878-1923"), fills a gap felt in our literature on church life in Dobrogea in 1878-1923, bringing to attention a topical issue not only for the history of Romanian Christianity, but also for the history of Southeast European Christianity.
The research done by Dr. Dumitru Carabas, with tenacity and critical sense, completes an important chapter in Dobrogea and national historiography. The author aims and manages to present in a systematic way, according to the scientific and methodological norms in force, the panoply of churches built in Constanta county between 1878-1923, in the context of Dobrogea's return to the Motherland, after the Romanian War of Independence.
The historical period under study represents the 45 years that have passed since the re-entry of Dobrogea into the Romanian borders and the installation of the Romanian administration between the Danube and the Sea (1878), until the reactivation of the ancient diocese of Tomis (1923). The issue of the study is represented by the orthodox places of worship built between 1878-1923, in Constanta county, practically within the Archdiocese of Tomis today. The research topic is in the corridor of scientific research in the field of historical theology, highlighting the realities of Dobrogea church life in the modern and contemporary period, which is also important and current research.
The author made an on-site radiograph of the situation of the churches that were built in Constanta county in the period that interests us, studying directly the inscriptions and especially the documents from their archives. The significance of the proposed research lies in the detailed knowledge of the Dobrogean church life from 1878-1923, as well as the validation or invalidation of the working hypotheses listed by the author at the beginning of his scientific approach.
The large number of churches built during this period of almost half a century impresses, especially if we consider the construction of parish houses next to places of worship, the purchase of vessels, scents, worship books, priestly vestments and especially the establishment of a land intended for the cemetery.
The work is distinguished by several qualities that give it scientific consistency and originality, among which we mention its topicality and usefulness in current theological literature, the study completing a gap felt in contemporary church historiography.