#Exhibit of the Month

Around thirty icons from the collection of the National Museum of History of Moldova feature Saint Nicholas the Hierarch and Miracle Worker. While most represent the later iconographic tradition, a few early images stand out as rare examples due to their composition.
In the icon "Saint Nicholas with Scenes from His Life", the hierarch is depicted bust-length, blessing the Gospel. He is framed by two round medallions showing Christ and the Mother of God, who hand him the Gospel and the omophorion. Saint Nicholas, earlier than other saints, was portrayed with scenes from his hagiographic cycle. The first images of his life date back to the 11th century, represented on a folding icon from the Monastery of Saint Catherine at Sinai.

The museum icon dates from the early 19th century, preserving the traditional chest format typical of classical icons. Twelve panels illustrate episodes from the saint's life, arranged from left to right: four on the upper register, four on the lower, and two on each side, as follows: Birth of Saint Nicholas (1), Baptism of Saint Nicholas (2), Miracle of Healing the Crippled Woman (3), Apprenticeship of Young Nicholas (4), Ordination as Deacon (5), Ordination as Bishop (6) Vision of Constantine (7), Saint Nicholas Saves Three Voivodes from Execution (8), Miracle of Rescue from Drowning (9), Miracle of Saving Basil from the Arabs (10), Dormition of Saint Nicholas (11), Translation of the Relics of Saint Nicholas to Bari (12).

Saint Nicholas the Hierarch is commemorated by the Orthodox Church twice a year: on December 6/19, the day of his birth, and on May 9/22, the day his relics were transferred from Myra to Bari (1087). Among all saints of the Christian world, the image of Saint Nicholas is one of the most popular, easily recognizable even to those unfamiliar with iconography.

He was born in the Roman Empire, at Patara in the province of Lycia, between 260-280, though early sources omit the exact date. Coming from a wealthy family, he rejected fame and luxury. From an early age he devoted himself to prayer and the study of Holy Scripture, while also mastering other disciplines. He avoided noisy gatherings and idle talk, attended church regularly, and pursued a life of chastity. Later he dedicated himself to pastoral ministry, defending the Christian faith with perseverance and firmly opposing heresies.
Through his care for people and the benefactions he performed everywhere, he became highly venerated not only in Myra but also in the surrounding regions. The grace of the Holy Spirit dwelling in his heart was revealed through miracles performed both during his life and after his death, earning him the enduring title of "Miracle Worker." Saint Nicholas passed away in the 330s (circa 334-337), and his remains were placed in a sumptuous marble tomb in the episcopal cathedral where he had served for many years. This soon became an important center of pilgrimage.
Holy Tradition has preserved with accuracy the features of his portrait, and his appearance in icons is marked by a distinct individuality. Ecclesiastical art has produced numerous iconographic representations, ranging from bust images to full-length depictions. The diversity of these representations suggests that the final iconography of Saint Nicholas was not yet established, taking shape only in the 10th-11th centuries. It is said that an authentic icon from the basilica in Myra, executed during the saint's lifetime and mentioned in written sources as early as the 11th century, played a significant role in his veneration.
Icons depicting the hagiographic cycle of Saint Nicholas spread widely in both Byzantine and post-Byzantine art, confirming the importance and popularity of his cult.

Virtual Tour

Exhibitions

“Memory of an Undeclared War”

March 1 – 31, 2022

The Dniester war begins to acquire its history, its heroes and its mistakes...

Like any other war, it has many secrets, darkness, madness. At first glance, it may seem that passions flared up as if out of nowhere, imperceptibly, from an innocent law of the functioning of languages.

In reality, however, it is not the linguistic confrontations, not the enmity between Moldavian Romanians and Russian-speaking people, between "nationalist" Chisinau and "internationalist" Tiraspol, "peace-loving", as the Smirnov's propaganda claims, but the struggle for the maintenance of the Bolshevik empire is at the root of the political conflict in the Dniester area, a conflict which in the early spring of 1992 escalated into a real fratricidal war.

Under the invented pretext of "defending the southern borders of Russia" political adventurers in the former metropolis encouraged Transnistrian separatism, armed guard paramilitary formations, sent thousands of mercenary Cossacks, criminals released from prisons, tanks and Alazan rockets against independent Moldova, hoping that with their help they would be able to revive lost empire.

On March 2, 1992, when the President of the Republic of Moldova Mircea Snegur delivered a speech at the plenary session of the UN General Assembly on the occasion of the admission of the Republic of Moldova to the United Nations, detachments of guardsmen and Cossacks armed with machine guns and armored vehicles stormed the Dubăsari district police department. The first fallen appeared. In the south, in Vulcăneşti, another armed group attacked the district police headquarters. The same thing happened simultaneously in Tighina, Grigoriopol and Cocieri... Among the first to die in the line of duty are: Lieutenant Colonel Mihai Moraru, Commissioner of the Hânceşti District Police Department; Iurie Bodiu, Valentin Slobozenco, Tudor Buga, Sergiu Ostaf, Vitalie Păvăluc, Viktor Lavrentsov, a Russian by nationality, a native of Tighina; Boris Dovgani from Pârâta, Serghei Culaţchi, son-in-law of the brave fighter General Anton Gămurari... The lifeless bodies of Sergeant V. Purice and driver N. Galben from Tighina were got out of the waters of the Dniester.

Civilians were attacked, entire villages were under Cossack fire, more than 50,000 civilians in the Dniester zone were forced to leave their homes to escape the scourge of war.

The ordeal that began in Dubăsari left behind hundreds of dead and crippled, orphans, widows, mothers with souls hardened by grief; it caused immeasurable material damage and loss on both banks of the Dniester.

More detailed clippings and chronicles of those dramatic events can be found in various sources: albums, monographs, collections of documents, memoirs, newspaper reports.

A photo-documentary chronicle of this war is also offered by the commemorative exhibition "Memory of an Undeclared War".

It was conceived as a tribute to all participants in the struggle for the defense of the territorial integrity and independence of the Republic of Moldova and, first of all, to those who sacrificed their lives on the altar of freedom of the Motherland.

The shocking pictures taken by photojournalists N. Pojoga, M. Vengher, T. Iovu, A. Mardare, S. Voronin, T. Anghel and others reflect the tragic trials that the defenders of Moldova went through in the battles of Dubăsari and Tighina, on the Cocieri and Coşniţa plateaus; they immortalized the heroism and courage of the Moldavian police and volunteers, the hardships and humiliations of the war, destroyed families, ruined houses and villages, women's and children's faces distorted by the pain of the loss of loved ones.

A special section of the exhibition is dedicated to the policemen who died in the fight for the independence and integrity of the Republic of Moldova.

The exhibition "Memory of an Undeclared War" was organized on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the outbreak of the armed conflict on the Dniester.

#Exhibit of the Month

Icon “Saint Nicholas with Scenes from His Life”

“Memory of an Undeclared War”

March 1 – 31, 2022

#Exhibit of the Month