#Exhibit of the Month

The Gospel is a fundamental liturgical book of the Orthodox Church that brings together the four apostolic testimonies about the Son of God - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John - "inspired by the same Holy Spirit, the one true and sole author of the Gospel." The Gospel, or the Good News, testifying to the Glory of Christ, refers to the full teaching and deeds of the Savior; the four Gospels are regarded as the four sustaining pillars of the Church.
St. Jerome (c. 340-420), author of the first complete Latin translation of the Holy Scriptures, assigned to the four evangelists the living creatures that appear in the vision of the prophet Ezekiel (1:5). Thus, the Evangelist Matthew, the first to relate the Nativity of the Lord, is accompanied in imagery by the angel who announced the miracle; the Evangelist Mark, likened to St. John the Baptist - "the voice of one crying in the wilderness" - is associated with the lion. The Evangelist Luke, who opens his Gospel with the priest Zechariah, is personified by the winged ox, recalling the ox's sacrificial role; and the Evangelist John, for his elevated theological vision, is associated with the eagle.
This altar Gospel, printed in 1890 at the Lavra Pecerska printing house in Kyiv, contains - in addition to the four canonical Gospels - other liturgical texts: readings for Vespers, the Divine Liturgy, prayers, and services.
It is a large-format Gospel measuring 37 × 48 cm, bound in cardboard and leather. The gilded metal cover is fitted with two metal clasps and gilt edges. Five vertical-oval icon plaques in polychrome enamel are applied to the cover, which is engraved with vegetal and geometric ornamentation. The central plaque depicts the "Resurrection of the Lord"; in the corners of the upper register appear the faces of the Evangelists Matthew and John, and in the lower register those of Luke and Mark. Printed in red and black, the volume comprises 428 leaves; the text is enriched with various typographic ornaments - vignettes, initials, engravings, frontispieces, etc. Pagination is indicated on the leaves, the folio number appearing in the upper right.
The Gospel of Matthew is printed on pages 1-105, the opening page accompanied by the scene of the Nativity of the Lord. The Gospel of Mark continues on pages 104-168, its representative scene being the Baptism of the Lord. The Gospel according to Luke occupies pages 172-273, its opening page bearing the scene of the Annunciation. The Gospel according to John is included between pages 280-358, the evocative scene being the Crucifixion of the Lord.

The Lavra Pecerska printing house, cited in the colophon, has long roots - traditionally founded by Archimandrite Elisei Pletenetsky (1595-1624) in 1615 - although the precise dates of its earliest publications remain a matter of debate. This copy entered the collections of the National Museum of History of Moldova under inventory number FB-23062-35; acquired in 1982, it was transferred to the MNIM collections in 1996 from the holdings of the Museum of the History of Religion.

Virtual Tour

Events Archive

The National Fair of the Carpet „COVORUL DORULUI” 5th edition

December 16, 2018

The National Fair of the Carpet was organised for the 5th consecutive year by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research in the contextxt of the promotion of the ellement "Traditional techniques of weaving carpets in Romania and the Republicof Moldova" which was inscribed on the UNESCO's Representaative List of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity of December 1, 2016.

The aim of the National Fair of the Carpet is to valorize the authentic Romanian rug and the rugs of other ethnicities living in the Republic of Moldova, to discover the basic motifs and symbols of the carpets, and to familiarize with the traditions and customs of the inhabitants of Moldova. The mistletoe caroling, which is part of the Universal Heritage from 2013, will be the key moment of the artistic program.

The 5th edition of the National Fair of the Carpet was held simultaneously in three national museums: the National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History (Mihail Kogălniceanu Street, no. 82), the National Museum of History of Moldova (31 August Street, no. 121A) and the National Art Museum of Moldova (31 August Street, no. 115).

PROGRAM:

14:00-15:00 National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History

The official opening of the event, as well as the opening of the exhibition "The Image of the World woven onto Wool" with carpets from the museum collections, as well as 12 ponevi (thick cloth of wool, cotton and other materials from which are made carpets) from the collections of the Museum of the Criş Country in Oradea (Romania). The first part of the event included a vast informative and fun musical program with many representations of carpet weaving traditions, as well as numerous creative and interactive workshops. In the courtyard of the museum was organized a peasant household where visitors had the opportunity to taste traditional dishes.

15:30-16:30 National Museum of History of Moldova

The museum became a place of interaction between different ethnic groups living in the Republic of Moldova, a meeting place for many cultures, languages and traditions. In the hall of the museum were presented the most beautiful winter traditions of Bulgarians, Ukrainians, and Gagauzians. Workshops were organized by experienced weavers from the "Rustic Art" Craftsmen Complex from Clişova. The exhibitions and workshops were accompanied by a musical performance, which included pieces from the folklore of minorities living in Moldova. Visitors were also able to admire the exhibition "The Magic of the Old Carpet", which includes selected pieces from the collection of the National Museum of History of Moldova from the 18th - beginning of the 20th century, some of which are exhibited for the first time. In the museum courtyard was arranged an artisan craft fair.

17:00-18:00 National Art Museum of Moldova

Was opened the exhibition "Tradition and Modernity" with a display of artworks signed by Mihai Grecu, Elena Bontea, Vladimir Palamarciuc and woven artworks by Elena Rotaru, Silvia Vrânceanu, Andrei Negură, Maria Saca-Răcilă and others.

The binder that secured the connection between different locations and compartments was the Winter Parade of Traditional Costume. Special guests at the National Fair of the Carpet were: the group Flori de măr from Râșca, Suceava; Folkloric group Glasul Odăieșilor, Galați County; Group Cerbul from Heleșteni, Iași.

Event partners: Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation in Moldova, Primex Com, MIMI Castle.

Media partner: Publika TV