#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

"Dănceni archaeological complex: 50 years since the start of field research"

Exhibition dedicated to the International Day of Monuments and Sites

April 17 – May 12, 2024

The National Museum of History of Moldova announces the opening of the thematic exhibition "Dănceni Archaeological Complex: 50 years since the start of field research". The opening of the exhibition will take place on April 17, 2024, at 11:00, second floor.

The exhibition is organized on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the start of archaeological research in the Dănceni I settlement and in the Dănceni II necropolis near Dănceni village, Ialoveni district. The Dănceni I settlement was discovered in 1958 by Isac Rafalovici, the site being attributed to the early medieval culture. Later, in 1964, Valentin Dergacev established that this site also contains a chronological level from the Neolithic period, which was attributed to the Linear Pottery culture, which is a creation of the first farmers in Europe (end of the 6th millennium BC).

The systematic archaeological excavations in the settlement of Dănceni I and the necropolis of Dănceni II were initiated in 1974 in connection with the start of the development works of the huge Dănceni reservoir, these being coordinated by Isak Rafalovici (1974-1976 and 1978), and later by Natalia Golțeva (1979), Olga Larina and Valentin Dergacev (1980).

The researches have shown that the Dănceni I site is pluristratigraphic, including vestiges from the Neolithic period, the Bronze Age, the Early Middle Ages (6th-7th centuries and the 10th-12th centuries) and the Late Middle Ages (15th-17th centuries). Taking into account the impressed surface investigated in this site, of 3254 m2, it can be seen that the settlements attributed to the Neolithic (6th millennium BC) and the early Middle Ages (5th-7th centuries) in this archaeological complex are among the most intensively researched in the Republic of Moldova. Within this site, following archaeological investigations, traces of 23 residential and household constructions from the Neolithic period and the vestiges of over 100 constructions from the early medieval period were identified, and at the same time, an impressive collection of vessels was also obtained ceramics, flint tools, bone, horn, but also a representative archaeozoological material.

On the other hand, it was found that the Dănceni II necropolis is among the largest burial sites known in the Republic of Moldova, where 405 human burials were discovered, the largest part (338) belonging to the Roman period, being attributed to the Sântana culture Mureș-Cerneahov from the III-IV centuries.

The necropolis of Dănceni II is the largest of the necropolises from the Roman period researched in the area between the Dniester and the Prut. Among the materials obtained, in addition to the impressive collection of ceramics, it is worth mentioning metal ornaments (including gold and silver), glass cups and horn combs. One of the most enigmatic objects is a funerary urn decorated with crescent-shaped engravings, swastikas, crosses, rosettes, which, according to one version, would represent an ancient calendar.

In addition to the burials from the Roman period, in the researched area of the necropolis of 8415 m2, funerary complexes from the Bronze Age (Usatovo culture, Catacombs culture, pottery culture with relief belts - Babino) and the Early Iron Age (a Thraco-Scythian horizon).

Early Bronze Age burials of the Usatovo culture (third quarter of the 4th millennium BC) form a compact necropolis with painted pottery, bronze and horn objects. A burial of the Catacomb culture (mid-3rd millennium BC) was accompanied by a hand-moulded bowl with rich decoration. Complexes from the Middle Bronze Age (Babino culture, end of the 3rd millennium - beginning of the 2nd millennium BC) contained three vessels modeled by hand, one of which is decorated with some "mysterious signs".

The burial inventory from the Early Iron Age (6th-5th centuries BC) consists of weapons (spearheads, arrowheads), pieces of harness, tools (knives) and pottery (hand and wheel-shaped pottery), being, without a doubt, a military necropolis. The most recent burial in the necropolis, with ornaments including two large digital fibulae and a bronze bracelet, belongs to a woman and is dated to the early 6th century.