#Exhibit of the Month

The history of this icon traces back to the 10th century at the Protaton Monastery on Mount Athos. In one of the cells named "The Dormition of the Mother of God," an elderly hieromonk lived with his disciple. They preserved a superb depiction of the Virgin Mary. This old icon became renowned through the revelation of the prayer "It Is Truly Meet."
Between the years 980-982, on a Saturday evening before an all-night vigil, the elder monk left for the nearby church, instructing his disciple to continue the religious routine in the cell. Being obedient, the disciple followed the instructions. When he reached the 9th Ode of the Canons, "More Honorable Than the Cherubim...," he suddenly heard someone beginning to chant alongside him: "It is truly meet to bless thee, O Theotokos..." It was a mysterious pilgrim monk who had appeared unexpectedly and joined in the prayers. At that moment, the icon began to radiate light, as if it were broad daylight. Astonished by the events, the disciple asked the mysterious monk to write down the verses. The monk wrote them on a tile with his finger as if it were soft wax and said, "From now on, this is how you Orthodox Christians should chant," and, saying this, he vanished. Left alone, the disciple realized he had witnessed a great miracle. Enlightened, he understood that the pilgrim was none other than the Archangel Gabriel, who had come, as he had before, to deliver the word of the Highest to humanity.

The icon was transferred from the cell to the Holy Altar of the Protaton Church, where a similar icon is preserved to this day. The tile with the divine hymn was taken to Constantinople and included in the Orthodox Church's liturgical books. Soon after, Archangel Gabriel's prayer was incorporated into the Divine Liturgy, immediately following the Consecration of the Gifts of Bread and Wine. The valley with the cells has since been called Adin, meaning "to chant," "chanting."

The icon "It Is Truly Meet" is of inestimable value and has become the protector of Mount Athos. The icon is celebrated on June 11/24, commemorating the miraculous appearance of the Archangel, and on July 13/26, in honor of the Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel.

This icon, of the Eleusa type, portrays gentleness and tenderness in its central figures. The Virgin holds the Child with her right hand, while her left hand, placed beneath His feet, grips the hem of His tunic. The small Jesus wears a short tunic reaching His knees and holds a scroll in His right hand inscribed with the words of the Axion hymn. His left-hand slips under the veil of the Virgin towards her left shoulder. Both figures are crowned with golden halos. Two angels flank the Virgin's halo, while the Almighty in an open heaven blesses with both hands.

Crafted using tempera on wood, the icon is adorned with gold leaf and multicolored enamel, giving the image a unique delicacy. The inscription on the lower frame indicates that the icon was created by the painter Ioasaf in 1905.

The painter monk Ioasaf Berghie (1862-?) of the New Neamț Monastery resided there between 1887 and the 1940s, occupying three rooms to set up his studio, where he worked continuously on icons and church artworks. Born into the family of a church teacher in Jabca village, Ștefan Berghie, Ioan Berghie developed a passion for sacred iconography from an early age. In 1890, Andronic, the abbot of the New Neamț Monastery, blessed him to paint icons. Taking monastic vows in 1895 under the name Ioasaf, he traveled by foot to visit major ecclesiastical centers nearby and further afield, learning the art of iconography. Starting with naive-style interpretations, he eventually mastered professional painting techniques and acquired new decorative skills. His works became highly popular throughout Bessarabia and abroad. Painting a significant number of icons, they were often mistakenly sold as coming from major artisan workshops. To prevent such confusion, he received the abbot's blessing to sign his works, earning recognition and fame for his name.

Virtual Tour

#Exhibit of the Month

May 2022

Pickaxe hammer

Deer antlers, as well as bones, teeth and shells of mollusks, belong to the category of hard materials of animal origin, which for a long time served as raw materials for prehistoric and protohistoric communities to make tools, weapons, containers, handles, as well as objects of prestige (sceptres) or adornments (necklaces, pendants, clothing accessories), certainly bearing a symbolic load.

The National Museum of History of Moldova has a valuable collection of products made of deer antler, the chronological framework of which covers a very wide period of time, from the Paleolithic era to the late Middle Ages. Based on this, and also taking into account the significance of the beginning of May (May 1 – International Labor Day), we present to our visitors a revolutionary type of tool, very useful, which is directly related to the development of agriculture and prehistoric societies. Antler pickaxes are the tools that contributed to what we call the Neolithic revolution, when there was a transition from hunter-gatherer hominids to sedentary people, agriculturists and cattle breeders, depending on the specifics of the region. Cucuteni agricultural human communities have a long tradition of exploiting Cervus elaphus (deer) resources, especially antlers.

The object comes from the Brânzeni III – Țiganca settlement (Edineț district), a site discovered in 1968 by the archaeologist Nicolae Chetraru, attributed to stage CII of the Tripolye culture. An unaffected part of the site was completely explored in 1970-1972 by Vsevolod Markevich; during the research 37 surface dwellings with platforms were found, revealing a new cultural aspect within the Cucuteni culture – Brânzeni, a cultural and chronological phenomenon that marks the beginning of the final stage of the Eneolithic era, the end of the 4^th millennium BC.

The pickaxe hammer, dual-functional product made of the basal part of the main axis of the antler, cleaned and polished, without traces of the basal part, without rosettes and other secondary horn beams. The surface with traces of cuts is polished, in some places with strong luster. The object has a round transverse hole, slightly oblique, with a cylindrical section, located in the middle, and has a pronounced bluntness, chips and a longitudinal crack from antiquity. The active parts – the head and slightly oblique tip, completely kept – are relatively well preserved, with traces of wear and cracks in places due to intensive use.

These traces give us a history of this object, which was originally, most likely, an axe hammer, intended to split, cut, and strike, but with the wear of its blade turned into a pickaxe hammer, used both for percussion activities and for loosening the earth. The object was used as a working tool, but most likely also as a weapon.

Dimensions: L.: 113 mm; W.: 56 mm; thickness: 44 mm: Hole diameter: 20x22 mm.