Metropolitan VLADIMIR (Cantarean Nicolae) was born on August 18, 1952, in the village of Colencăuţi, Hotin District, Chernivtsi Region, Ukraine. In 1969, he graduated from the secondary school in his native village and entered a vocational-technical school, which he completed in 1970. Between 1970 and 1973, he served his mandatory military service in the Black Sea Fleet.
After being discharged, he served as subdeacon (ipodiacon) at the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God in the city of Smolensk, while simultaneously working as a secretary-official in the Smolensk Diocesan Administration.
On May 22, 1974, on the feast of the Translation of the Relics of St. Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, he was ordained a deacon at the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God in Smolensk by Bishop Theodosie (Protiuk) of Smolensk and Vyazma, as a celibate (unmarried) clergyman, and assigned to serve at the cathedral.
On May 22, 1976, he was ordained a priest by the same bishop and appointed as assistant parish priest (paroh-adjunct) at the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God in Smolensk.
In 1981, he was transferred to the Chernivtsi Eparchy and was appointed by Bishop Varlaam (Iliusenko) of Chernivtsi and Bukovina as a clergyman at the St. Nicholas Cathedral in Chernivtsi. From 1983, he was simultaneously appointed secretary of the Chernivtsi Diocesan Administration and elevated to the rank of protopriest (protoiereu).
On November 29, 1987, he was tonsured a monk with the name VLADIMIR, in honor of St. Prince Vladimir, Equal to the Apostles (celebrated on July 28), by the newly appointed Bishop Antonie (Moskalenko) of Chernivtsi and Bukovina.
In 1988, for the feast of the Nativity of the Savior, he was awarded a gold cross, elevated to the rank of hegumen, and decorated with a palitza. On Easter 1988, he was further honored with a jeweled cross and elevated to the rank of archimandrite. On the occasion of the Millennium of the Christianization of Russia in the same year, he was granted the right to wear a second jeweled cross.
He graduated from the Moscow Theological Seminary in 1981, and in 1989, from the Moscow Theological Academy.
By the decision of His Beatitude Patriarch Pimen (Izvekov) of Moscow and All Russia and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church on July 7, 1989, Archimandrite VLADIMIR (Cantarean), secretary of the Chernivtsi Diocesan Administration, was elected Bishop of Chișinău and Moldova.
On July 21, 1989, the feast of the Icon of the Mother of God of Kazan, at the Patriarchal Cathedral “Baptism of the Lord”, the hierarchs who had gathered the previous day for the announcement and public proclamation officiated the ordination of Archimandrite VLADIMIR as Bishop of Chișinău and Moldova.
In 1990, on Easter, he was elevated to the rank of Archbishop by Patriarch Pimen of Moscow and All Russia. From 1990, he has been a member of the Synodal Biblical Commission.
On December 21, 1992, he was elevated to the rank of Metropolitan by Patriarch Alexy II (Ridiger) of Moscow and All Russia, with the title “of Chișinău and All Moldova”.
Since 1995, he has also served as Rector of the Theological Seminary in Chișinău. In 1997, by decree of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, he was appointed Rector of both the Theological Academy and the Theological Seminary in Chișinău.
In 1990, 1992, 1996, and 1999, he served as an alternate member of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church. At the anniversary hierarchical council held in Moscow from August 13–19, 2000, he was elected as a permanent member of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church.
He has visited the Holy Land, Mount Athos, and other holy sites of Christianity worldwide on several occasions as part of official delegations.
He has been awarded both ecclesiastical and state honors:
* Medal of Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, 1st Class
* Order of Saint Mary Magdalene, awarded by the Polish Orthodox Church
* 1979 – Honorary Diploma of the Presidium of the Peace Fund of the USSR
* Order of Saint Stanislaus (international)
* Honorary Diploma of the Presidium of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Moldova
* 1999 – Honorary Academician of the International Academy of Personnel under UNESCO
* 1999 – Order of Saint Prince Vladimir, 2nd Class
* 1999 – “Order of the Republic”, the highest distinction of the Republic of Moldova
* 2000 – Order “For the Development of Science and Education”, awarded by the International Academy of Personnel under UNESCO
* 2000 – Jubilee Diploma of Patriarch Alexy II
* 2000 – Order “Holy Sepulchre”, awarded by the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem
* 2002 – Order “Renaissance” of the Assembly of Nobility of the Republic of Moldova
* Since 2002 – Member of the Editorial Board of the collection Bogoslovskie Trudy
* 2002 – Medal “For Merit”, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Carabinieri
* 2003 – Medal “Cross for Merit”, Ministry of Internal Affairs
* 2004 – Order “Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky”, 1st Class, Orthodox Church of Moldova
* 2005 – Order “Saint Seraphim of Sarov”, 2nd Class, Russian Orthodox Church
* 2005 – Honorary Member of the Theological Seminary of Odessa
* 2005 – Certificate of Excellence, Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports
* 2006 – Certificate of Excellence, Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports
* 2006 – Order of Saints Cyril and Methodius, 2nd Class, Czech Orthodox Church
* 2006 – Honorary Medal of the Presidium of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Moldova
* 2009 – Diploma and Gold Insignia in honor of Antioh Cantemir, commemorating 300 years since his birth
* 2009 – Order of Saint Fyodor Ushakov, awarded by the Maritime Section of the Veterans’ Society of Russia
* 2009 – Order of Saint Anna, 1st Class, awarded by Tsarina Maria Vladimirovna Romanov
* 2010 – Doctor of Economic Sciences, awarded by the Free International University of Moldova (ULIM)
* 2011 – Doctor Honoris Causa, State Social University of Russia
* 2011 – Gold Medal in honor of Empress Maria Feodorovna, “For Social Service”
* 2011 – Order of Bogdan the Founder, awarded by the President of the Republic of Moldova
* 2011 – Commemorative Medal “Participant in the Liquidation of the Consequences of the Chernobyl Disaster – 25 Years”
* 2011 – Cross of the Holy Apostle Paul, the highest distinction of the Orthodox Church of Greece
* 2011 – Medal of Saint Martyr Silvestr, awarded by the Diocese of Omsk and Tarsk
* 2012 – Order of Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, 1st Class
* 2012 – Medal of Saint Prince Alexander Nevsky, Diocese of Ungheni and Nisporeni
* 2012 – Medal of Saint Basil the Great, Diocese of Edineț and Briceni
* 2012 – Honorary Member, Academy of Sciences of Moldova
* 2016 – Medal “For Outstanding Merit in Service”
* 2016 – Anniversary Distinction “Carabinieri Troops – 25 Years”
* 2019 – Diploma of Honor from the Association of Veterans of the Military Maritime Fleet of the Republic of Moldova, on behalf of A. I. Marinescu
* 2022 – Order – Badge, 1st Class (Gold) “Stephen the Great and Holy”, awarded by the public association “Stephen the Great and Holy”
He participates in activities across all areas of church and state life.
He has visited numerous Orthodox Churches, both Autocephalous and Autonomous, as well as dioceses in: Czech Republic, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Syria, Spain, and the United States.