In this period Bessarabia was a province having a special statute – the Ukase “On the Formation of the Bessarabian Oblast” of April 29, 1818, which specified the observance of certain peculiarities in governing.

According to the Senate ukase of March 15, 1828, Bessarabia was incorporated in the general system of the Empire. In the annexed territory there was created the Chisinau and Hotin Eparchy (the Ukase of the Holy Synod of 30 September, 1813) subordinated to the Russian Orthodox Church.

The first Metropolitan of the new eparchy was Gavriil Banulescu-Bodoni (1813-1821).

There were opened the Eparchial Printing-house (May 31, 1814), which served for printing religious books in the “Moldavian language”, the Chisinau Theological Seminary (1813), and district schools of gymnasia type (in Chisinau, Hotin, Tighina, Balti, Akkerman, Ismail). During this time a large colonization process begins in the south of Bessarabia.