#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

#Exhibit of the Month

September 2020

Bronze satyr

Among the Greek mythological figures, there is a satyr (Ancient Greek: Σάτυρος), also called Silenus, a male spirit of nature and forest, known to be the companion of the gods Pan and Dionysus. Satyrs were imagined as dancing in the fields, drinking wine with Dionysus and chasing maenads and nymphs. According to the descriptions in myths, they had human-like upper part of the body and the horse-like or goat-like legs, and also a long and bushy tail.

Gradually, animalistic features in the image of a satyr recede, their lower limbs become human (legs, not hooves). The satyr Marsyas (Μάρσιας) plays a special role in Greek legends. Sometimes the god Pan is depicted in the guise of a satyr.

The historian Hesiod tells us about their origins, mentioning that satyrs are wine lovers, and legends also claim that it was the satyrs who saved Ariadne (Aριαδνη), the daughter of King Minos from Crete, who was abandoned by her lover Theseus (Θησεύς) on the island of Naxos (Νάξος).

It is believed that satyrs have tremendous strength and endurance, and also love music, and one of their main attributes is the flute. Also among the attributes of satyrs there are the thyrsus, vessels for wine, and wineskins.

The figurine of a satyr from the NMHM collection is unique. It is made of bronze and has a height of 17 cm. The figurine is made in a stylized manner, the character is presented in a standing position, as if he is holding something in his right hand, and his left hand is damaged. The left leg is also not completely preserved. Some researchers consider it to be the handle of a vessel (possibly of a cup). Certainly, the object had a symbolic character.

We assume that this artifact belongs to the period of Classical Greece and dates back to the 4th century BC.