#Exhibit of the Month

The history of this icon traces back to the 10th century at the Protaton Monastery on Mount Athos. In one of the cells named "The Dormition of the Mother of God," an elderly hieromonk lived with his disciple. They preserved a superb depiction of the Virgin Mary. This old icon became renowned through the revelation of the prayer "It Is Truly Meet."
Between the years 980-982, on a Saturday evening before an all-night vigil, the elder monk left for the nearby church, instructing his disciple to continue the religious routine in the cell. Being obedient, the disciple followed the instructions. When he reached the 9th Ode of the Canons, "More Honorable Than the Cherubim...," he suddenly heard someone beginning to chant alongside him: "It is truly meet to bless thee, O Theotokos..." It was a mysterious pilgrim monk who had appeared unexpectedly and joined in the prayers. At that moment, the icon began to radiate light, as if it were broad daylight. Astonished by the events, the disciple asked the mysterious monk to write down the verses. The monk wrote them on a tile with his finger as if it were soft wax and said, "From now on, this is how you Orthodox Christians should chant," and, saying this, he vanished. Left alone, the disciple realized he had witnessed a great miracle. Enlightened, he understood that the pilgrim was none other than the Archangel Gabriel, who had come, as he had before, to deliver the word of the Highest to humanity.

The icon was transferred from the cell to the Holy Altar of the Protaton Church, where a similar icon is preserved to this day. The tile with the divine hymn was taken to Constantinople and included in the Orthodox Church's liturgical books. Soon after, Archangel Gabriel's prayer was incorporated into the Divine Liturgy, immediately following the Consecration of the Gifts of Bread and Wine. The valley with the cells has since been called Adin, meaning "to chant," "chanting."

The icon "It Is Truly Meet" is of inestimable value and has become the protector of Mount Athos. The icon is celebrated on June 11/24, commemorating the miraculous appearance of the Archangel, and on July 13/26, in honor of the Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel.

This icon, of the Eleusa type, portrays gentleness and tenderness in its central figures. The Virgin holds the Child with her right hand, while her left hand, placed beneath His feet, grips the hem of His tunic. The small Jesus wears a short tunic reaching His knees and holds a scroll in His right hand inscribed with the words of the Axion hymn. His left-hand slips under the veil of the Virgin towards her left shoulder. Both figures are crowned with golden halos. Two angels flank the Virgin's halo, while the Almighty in an open heaven blesses with both hands.

Crafted using tempera on wood, the icon is adorned with gold leaf and multicolored enamel, giving the image a unique delicacy. The inscription on the lower frame indicates that the icon was created by the painter Ioasaf in 1905.

The painter monk Ioasaf Berghie (1862-?) of the New Neamț Monastery resided there between 1887 and the 1940s, occupying three rooms to set up his studio, where he worked continuously on icons and church artworks. Born into the family of a church teacher in Jabca village, Ștefan Berghie, Ioan Berghie developed a passion for sacred iconography from an early age. In 1890, Andronic, the abbot of the New Neamț Monastery, blessed him to paint icons. Taking monastic vows in 1895 under the name Ioasaf, he traveled by foot to visit major ecclesiastical centers nearby and further afield, learning the art of iconography. Starting with naive-style interpretations, he eventually mastered professional painting techniques and acquired new decorative skills. His works became highly popular throughout Bessarabia and abroad. Painting a significant number of icons, they were often mistakenly sold as coming from major artisan workshops. To prevent such confusion, he received the abbot's blessing to sign his works, earning recognition and fame for his name.

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Exhibitions

“Archaeological vestiges in the Budzhak Steppe. Taraclia District”

June 24 - September 30, 2021

The National Museum of History of Moldova possesses a rich collection of archaeological remains, resulting from investigations conducted in Taraclia District from the 1970s-1980s up to this day.

At present, on the territory of the district there are known about 220 archeological sites attested near 16 localities, out of the 26 ones that are part of this administrative unit. Among the sites listed in the Archaeological Register of the Republic of Moldova there is a linear fortification (Trajan's Wall), 30 multi-layered settlements, eight flat grave fields and 181 tumulus fields. But only a part of them was investigated by archaeological excavations: four settlements (Taraclia-Gaidabul, Taraclia I, Cealîc, Balabanu I), three flat grave fields (Cealîc, Taraclia-Gaidabul, Taraclia Center) and 48 mounds (groups of mounds near Taraclia, Balabanu, Ciumai etc.).

As a result of surface research, as well as archaeological excavations, traces of habitation have been attested from the early Eneolithic era (4500-4000 BC) to the medieval and pre-modern era, the period of the late nomads (13th -15th centuries and 16th-18th centuries AD).

The exhibition brings together a number of over 500 archeological objects of scientific, historical and aesthetic value, coming from the sites on the territory of Taraclia District, especially from Taraclia-Gaidabul, Taraclia I, Cealîc and others. Work tools, weapons, ornaments and clothing, made of stone, bone, clay, iron, bronze, and other materials, as well as numerous ceramic vessels are on display.

Photographs and drawings from the Museum's collections, personal archives of researchers and scientific publications are used to illustrate the exhibition. For a better perception of the archaeological realities, the exhibition is completed with models of mounds, reconstructions of human activities, etc.

The results of the investigations on the territory of Taraclia District provide a vast, diverse and spectacular informative baggage, important for the knowledge of our past. The purpose of the exhibition is to promote the archaeological heritage discovered in the sites of Taraclia through popularization of the values that are preserved in the museum's collections. The cultural and educational function of the exhibition is to familiarize the general public with materials that reflect the historicity of archaeological sites, their chronological diversity, as well as the uniqueness of artifacts discovered over time in the vicinity of the localities of Taraclia District.