Metropolitan of Moldavia, Poltava, Kiev, and later of Bessarabia, Bănulescu-Bodoni was a teacher of Greek, a hieromonk, and a preacher at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Iasi. In 1808, he was appointed exarch of the Church of Moldavia and Wallachia, during the time when both principalities were under the administration of the Russian Empire.Six years later, by the order of the Russian Tsar, Bănulescu-Bodoni became the head of the Archdiocese of Bessarabia, with his residence in Chisinau, where he also founded a theological seminary. He remained in charge of the Metropolitanate until his death in the spring of 1821.Bănulescu-Bodoni printed numerous books and played a vital role in the organization of church life in Bessarabia. He constructed several churches in Chisinau and other locations in the country, and he was actively involved in the restoration of the old Capriana Monastery, where he found his final resting place.Due to his insistence, at the beginning of the 19th century, the Bible was printed in Romanian. In Chisinau, one of the central streets is named after him. He became the first saint canonized in 2016 by the Orthodox Church of Moldova.