#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 Anastasia Rizo, of noble origin, 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 exercises in 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 composite, taken in 1911 at the 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. Among the teaching staff was Paraskovia 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."

On the reverse of the vignette is a label from the store and workshop of frames, paintings, mirrors, and window glass owned by A. D. Kon'gova, Chișinău, Gogol Street no. 37, near the State Bank.

This graduation composite was donated at the end of 2025 to the National Museum of History of Moldova by the Dadiștian family from Drochia.

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Autumnal school “Dialogue between the young people from both banks of the Dniester for edification of a European memory culture and promotion of democratic values. Implementation of good practices between Lithuania and Moldova” (2024 edition)

The National Museum of History of Moldova, in partnership with the Institute of History of the Moldova State University and the Museum of History of Avdarma, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania and the Hanns Siedel Foundation - Republic of Moldova, between November 1 - 3, 2024, organizes a new edition of the Autumn School "Dialogue between young people from both banks of the Dniester for edification of a European memory culture and promotion of democratic values. Implementation of good practices between Lithuania and Moldova".

The activities to be developed during the Autumnal School, represented by lectures, round tables, case studies and field research, will create a common platform of communication between young people from both banks of the Dniester to address the issues of the history of totalitarian regimes and the consequences for contemporary societies. Places of memory related to the totalitarian-communist past will be brought to the center of attention of the participants, documented and analyzed in the context of building a European memory culture in the Republic of Moldova. The European experience of promoting democratic values and respect for historical knowledge will be approached with reference to the case of the Republic of Lithuania, as an example of putting in value the historical memory to strengthen the society.

The project "Dialogue between young people from both banks of the Dniester for the edification of a European memory culture and the promotion of democratic values. The implementation of good practices between Lithuania and Moldova - Edition 2024" is implemented with the support of the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in the Republic of Moldova and the Hanns Seidel Foundation - Republic of Moldova.