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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.

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Events Archive

The European Night of Museums 2012

19 May 2012

National Museum of Archaeology and History of Moldova for the seventh time has participated in the Night of Museums, a successful event initiated by the Ministry of Culture and Communication of France and carried out in Europe already for the eighth time. The museum was opened to the public from 18:00 to 02:00, access was free. The event was attended by 8516 people.  

  
The night event included:

1. Visiting of exhibitions. The cultural rendezvous was accompanied by alternative activities:

  • Screening of mini-films presenting the museum collections
  • Recital of the string quartet of the Academy of Music, Theatre, and Fine Arts (artistic director A. Molodojan)
  • Piano music performed by the students of the Academy of Music, Theatre, and Fine Arts
  • Parade of historical characters
  • Torchlight procession. Fighting of warriors in armor (Club of Historical Fencing an Reconstruction „Ensifer", director Mikhail Tereshchenko)



2. Interactive presentations of enigmatic objects in the permanent exhibition. Under the title "Unsolved Mysteries" there were presented a number of strange, unexplained objects from the museum collection (a "scepter" of the Late Bronze Age (end of the 2nd millennium B.C.) found in the hoard at Lozova; binocular vessels of the middle period of Cucuteni-Tripolye Culture (end of the 5th - beginning of the 3rd millennia B.C.); miniature clay figurines of the 8th - 10th centuries found at Durlești), which practical use, generic functions or exact origin have not been clarified until now; there are only certain assumptions and hypotheses. Visitors were invited to explain the origin or functionality of these artifacts. In this interactive activity 144 people were involved. The most interesting of the assumptions will be awarded by the museum and will be a subject to an article.

3. Mini-exhibitions under the title „An Exhibit Story". There were presented to the public the album „History of the Bender-Galati Railway Section", an icon of the Virgin and Child, and the saber of Russian Tsarevich Alexei. They continue the theme of exhibits with stories that was initiated in 2011.


4. The stand of a medieval knight. At the stand visitors could try on armor (chain mail and helmet) and walk in them through the museum.

5. The Ikebana Workshop of Angela Lobastova, president of the "Ikenobo" Japanese Culture and Art Center  in Chișinău. Everyone could try to arrange flowers under the guidance of master Lobastova.

6.  CHRONOGRAPH at the Museum. Screenings of historical and cultural films of the 10th International Documentary Film Festival CHRONOGRAPH 2012 that had place in Chisinau from 10 to 15 May 2012. There were presented the following films:

18:30: SĂRMAna de pe Prut / The Wired Prut (Republic of Moldova) - 47 min.
19:30: The Train Station Latvians 1937 (Latvia) - 64 min.
20:45: A. Leonov. The Spacewalker (France, Russia) - 60 min.
22:00: Love Stories from Moscow 1993-2009 (Germany) - 115 min.

7. Photographer's parlor "Retro-Museum". In one of the rooms of the museum there was made a reconstruction of a photographer's parlor from Chisinau of the past, where visitors were able to rediscover a solemnity of the lost ritual: visiting a photographer to make a picture by all canons of beauty of the past time.


8. Exhibition of ceramics and master class with Ivan Prividiuc in the museum courtyard.

9. Tour „Panorama of Chișinău at Night", which was one of the main points of the program of the Night of Museums in 2012. In cooperation with the City Hall of Chisinau and the Chisinau City Bus Fleet there was organized a pilot route "National Museum of Archaeology and History of Moldova - Museum of History of Chișinău (Mateevici Street)". Every half hour a bus traveled between the two museums, allowing the visitors to admire the panorama of Chișinău at night from the terrace on the tower, which houses the museum of city history.

10. Raffle Night of Museums 2012 with the special prize for visitors - a bicycle „Giant SNAP 21" provided by „DAAC-VELO-SPORT" S.R.L. The bicycle was won by Mikhail Lavrovsky.


Parteners:



 

 


Independent Moldova
Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic
Bessarabia and MASSR between the Two World Wars
Bessarabia and Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in the Period between the Two World Wars
Revival of National Movement
Time of Reforms and their Consequences
Abolition of Autonomy. Bessarabia – a New Tsarist Colony
Period of Relative Autonomy of Bessarabia within the Russian Empire
Phanariot Regime
Golden Age of the Romanian Culture
Struggle for Maintaining of Independence of Moldova
Formation of Independent Medieval State of Moldova
Era of the
Great Nomad Migrations
Early Middle Ages
Iron Age and Antiquity
Bronze Age
Aeneolithic Age
Neolithic Age
Palaeolithic Age
  
  

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#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...

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The National Museum of History of Moldova takes place among the most significant museum institutions of the Republic of Moldova, in terms of both its collection and scientific reputation.
©2006-2025 National Museum of History of Moldova
Visit museum 31 August 1989 St., 121 A, MD 2012, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
Phones:
Secretariat: +373 (22) 24-43-25
Department of Public Relations and Museum Education: +373 (22) 24-04-26
Fax: +373 (22) 24-43-69
E-mail: office@nationalmuseum.md
Technical Support: info@nationalmuseum.md
Web site administration and maintenance: Andrei EMILCIUC

 



The National Museum of History of Moldova takes place among the most significant museum institutions of the Republic of Moldova, in terms of both its collection and scientific reputation.
©2006-2025 National Museum of History of Moldova
Visit museum 31 August 1989 St., 121 A, MD 2012, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
Phones:
Secretariat: +373 (22) 24-43-25
Department of Public Relations and Museum Education: +373 (22) 24-04-26
Fax: +373 (22) 24-43-69
E-mail: office@nationalmuseum.md
Technical Support: info@nationalmuseum.md
Web site administration and maintenance: Andrei EMILCIUC

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The National Museum of History of Moldova takes place among the most significant museum institutions of the Republic of Moldova, in terms of both its collection and scientific reputation.
©2006-2025 National Museum of History of Moldova
Visit museum 31 August 1989 St., 121 A, MD 2012, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
Phones:
Secretariat: +373 (22) 24-43-25
Department of Public Relations and Museum Education: +373 (22) 24-04-26
Fax: +373 (22) 24-43-69
E-mail: office@nationalmuseum.md
Technical Support: info@nationalmuseum.md
Web site administration and maintenance: Andrei EMILCIUC