#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.

Virtual Tour

Events Archive

Exhibition Opening: Art in Motion: From Sketch to Directed Film

October 28, 2025

On October 28, 2025, the National Museum of History of Moldova inaugurated the exhibition Art in Motion: From Sketch to Directed Film, organized to mark World Day for Audiovisual Heritage.

Speakers at the official opening included Dr. Eugen Sava, General Director of the National Museum of History of Moldova; Valentina Plugaru, Executive Secretary of the Union of Filmmakers of Moldova; actress Zinaida Timofti, widow of the late director Valeriu Gagiu, known for his work with the Bulgakov-Roman duo; and Ana Maria Rusnac, the exhibition's curator, who presented the research methodology and conceptual framework. Their remarks emphasized the importance of scenography as an autonomous art form and the museum's role in preserving the visual memory of national cinema.

The exhibition highlights the contribution of painter-scenographers who shaped the visual identity of Moldova-Film productions-a film institution with a complex evolution, from the founding of the "Moldovan Studio for Documentary Newsreels" in 1952 through multiple reorganizations that redefined its status and functions. Over several decades, the studio produced feature films, documentaries, and animations that helped forge a distinct cinematic image in the Eastern European context. This legacy is at the heart of the exhibition's reflection.

Central to the display is the work of Aurelia Roman, a distinguished scenographer active at Moldova-Film between 1959 and 1987 and a graduate of the VGIK Art Faculty in Moscow. Also featured are works by Stanislav Bulgakov, Honored Master of Art of the Moldavian SSR.

From a methodological standpoint, Art in Motion offers a multi-layered reading-historical, aesthetic, and technical-by placing archival documents in dialogue with the final cinematic product: the initial sketch, costume model, or studio diorama alongside the filmed image. The project also draws on the museum's collections to demonstrate how scenography functions as an "architecture of emotion" and a vital component of audiovisual heritage.

Curated by Olga Andranovici and Ana-Maria Rusnac, the exhibition invites specialists, students, and the general public to explore the behind-the-scenes world of cinematic creation and to reconsider scenography's place within the discourse of national cultural heritage.

The exhibition is open to visitors from October 28 to November 28, 2025, in the first-floor foyer of the National Museum of History of Moldova (121A, 31 August 1989 Street, Chișinău).