Born in
Bucharest, he attended gymnasium (
Gheorghe Lazăr) and high school (
Saint Sava) in his native city. He briefly worked as a government clerk, then graduated from the literature and philosophy faculty of the
University of Bucharest. In 1877, he began teaching Romanian and Latin at
Cantemir Vodă Gymnasium, becoming its director in 1878. In 1879, he was hired to teach at Saint Sava. Named "principal preceptor" to
Prince Ferdinand, heir to the
Romanian throne, Păun spent a number of years with the prince in Germany, where he took the occasion to further his own studies. From 1890, he was a professor at Gheorghe Lazăr High School, where he served as director from 1892 to 1903. == Notes ==