#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.

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Exhibitions

“Memory of the War. 1939-1945”

(Permanent Exhibition)

The signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact on August 23, 1939, by which Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union divided their spheres of influence in Europe, led to the outbreak of the largest and most devastating conflagration in the millennial history of mankind. World War II claimed the lives of over 55 million people, left millions disabled, orphaned, and widowed, reduced thousands of cities and villages to dust, and caused immeasurable material losses.

Moldova also suffered the harsh trials of war. More than 110,000 Moldavians - civilians and soldiers on the battlefield - died. Hundreds and thousands of villages, residential buildings, industrial complexes, and peasant farms were razed to the ground during bombings and military operations.

From August 20 to 29, 1944, Moldova became the scene of one of the bloodiest military operations of World War II - the Iași-Chișinău Offensive. As a result of the fighting, the territory of Moldova was strewn with graves. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers, sons of many nations, perished here, driven by the war into foreign lands. In the following period, more than 200,000 Bessarabians were forcibly conscripted into the Soviet Army and sent to fight at the front. Some of them fought their way to Königsberg, Berlin, Korea, and militaristic Japan. More than 50,000 fell on the battlefield, finding their eternal rest in a foreign land.

The exhibition "Memory of the War. 1939-1945" brings together about 280 museum pieces: photographs, documents, military uniforms, weapons, personal belongings of war participants, letters from the front, war trophies, awards, posters of that period, works of art and other artifacts recreating dramatic aspects of the history of World War II.

Historical relics remind us of the self-sacrifice and heroism shown by our fellow citizens in the fight against fascism, for which they received (many posthumously) high military awards (D. Calaraș, I. Coval, Gh. Cernienco, N. Lebedenco, V, Ermurachi, F. Rotari, S. Niculiță, and others).

The life stories of Bessarabian soldiers Gr. Odobescu, V. Ryabov, D. Chiperi, E. Filatov, V. Sikorski, and others symbolize the dramatic destiny of Bessarabia and the many thousands of Bessarabians who, by the will of fate, found themselves in opposing camps, in enemy armies, forced to fight against each other.

The photos recreate an ominous picture of the destruction caused by military actions on the territory of Moldova, in particular, the consequences of the Iași-Chișinău Offensive. The ruins of Chișinău and Bălți, Tiraspol, Iași and Constanța remind us of the horrors of war and the still-unhealed wounds of this massacre.

The intensity and drama of the battles between the Soviet and German armies at the village of Leușeni on the Prut River are depicted on a monumental canvas measuring 11 x 45 meters, with a total area of 500 square meters. This canvas is part of the Diorama created by renowned artists Nikolai Prisekin and Alexei Semenov from the M.B. Grekov Studio of Military Artists in Moscow.

The final section of the exhibition features images of the monuments and presents seven volumes of the "Book of Memory", published by the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Moldova from 2002 to 2005. These volumes contain lists of approximately 56,000 Bessarabians who were drafted into the Red Army and died on the battlefield in 1944-1945.

Through the sacrifice, suffering, and deprivation of millions of people, Europe was liberated from fascist occupation, but, unfortunately, it could not be saved from communism. Wherever the Soviet tank entered, so did the Stalinist socio-political system. One totalitarian regime was replaced by another, equally tyrannical and treacherous. The Soviet-style totalitarian regime took control of the countries of Eastern Europe, including the territory between the Prut and Dniester rivers, leaving behind millions of victims of arrests, assassinations, famine, and deportations.

#Exhibit of the Month

Icon “Saint Nicholas with Scenes from His Life”

“Memory of the War. 1939-1945”

(Permanent Exhibition)

#Exhibit of the Month