#Exhibit of the Month

The Chișinău Diocesan Girls' School opened its doors on May 3, 1864, addressing a pressing need: in Bessarabia there were no institutions dedicated to the education of clergy's daughters. According to the 1864 circular, teaching was conducted in the Romanian language, a provision applied throughout the diocese. The school's first headmistress was noblewoman Anastasia Dmitrievna Rizo, invited by Archbishop Antonie.
The curriculum, approved by the Ministry of Public Education and the Chișinău Diocese, combined theoretical subjects with practical training. Students studied religion, reading and writing in Romanian, Slavonic, and Russian, arithmetic and mental calculation, world history and geography. The program was complemented by church singing and practical skills such as sewing, embroidery, knitting, as well as household management - baking bread and prosphora, preparing meals and preserves, caring for livestock, and cultivating gardens.
The vignette, created in 1911 at the photographic studio of Z. N. Sumovski in Chișinău, depicts 29 graduates and 13 teachers. At the center are portraits of Bishop Serafim (Ciciagov), headmistress N. R. Mihelson, teacher V. E. Bejerian, and priests F. Ghiliarov and P. Jurikas. A notable figure is Praskovia Vasilievna Cuciurenko, a calligraphy teacher for 37 years, who in 1911 became senior educator and assistant headmistress. For her dedication, she was awarded the gold medal "For Long Service."
By 1911, the school had 648 students across 17 classes. Its library contained 7,414 volumes, including 3,955 for students and 3,459 for teachers. Graduates, often becoming priests' wives or teachers in rural and urban schools, contributed to spreading faith and moral education, strengthening the cultural and spiritual role of the institution.
On the reverse of the vignette is a label reading: "Store and workshop for frames, paintings, mirrors, and window glass, A. D. Kon'gova, Chișinău, Gogol Street no. 37, next to the State Bank."
This unique vignette was donated at the end of 2025 to the National Museum of History of Moldova by the Dadiștian family from Drochia.

Virtual Tour

Exhibitions

„Polish illustrations for children in Chisinau”

June 1-30, 2022

Their works win awards around the world. The images they create take readers into a fairytale world, opening an extraordinary portal to the realm of fantasy. The titles signed with their names are used fervently not only by the youngest, because the illustrations they create are true works of art. These are the most important Polish illustrators and designers of children's books. At the National Museum of the History of Moldova in Chisinau you can see some examples of those wonderful works.

Polish School of Illustration - a term created in the 60ʼs, used for a group of Polish illustrators who have gained international recognition. They illustrated children's books.

The beginning of the Polish School of Illustration dates back to the second half of the 50ʼs. The socio-political situation in Poland after 1956 had a great influence on the shaping of this cultural and historical phenomenon. New opportunities appeared for the authors of that time, the profile of publishing activities was defined and the publishing movement was centralized. The Ministry of Culture and Art raised the problem of children's books at a high level, which allowed the first-class implementation of the children's book plan.

Artists during the People's Republic of Poland, due to the prevailing doctrine of socialist realism, focused on profitable, practical artistic works such as: designing postcards, advertising prints or designing book illustrations. In retrospect, this situation brought positive results. Then, thanks to this, in the years 1950-1980, a group of illustrators-visual artists, referred to as the Polish School of Illustration, developed.

This group of illustrators represented exceptional artistic originality and used innovative solutions. The artists used various techniques, created works characterized by a sense of humor and created poetry in their visual message, which was distinguished by an extraordinary freedom of expression. All these phenomena resulted in the fact that the Polish School of Illustration gained international recognition and ensured a very high position of Polish illustration in the world.

The exhibition "Polish School of Illustration" can be seen on the fence of the National Museum of History of Moldova, Chisinau, 31 August 1989 street, 121A, June 1-30, 2022.

#Exhibit of the Month

Vignette of Graduates and Teachers of the Chișinău Diocesan Girls’ School, 1911

„Polish illustrations for children in Chisinau”

June 1-30, 2022

#Exhibit of the Month