#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.

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Tribute Event for Robert Badinter

October 9, 2025

On October 9, the National Museum of History of Moldova hosted a commemorative event honoring Robert Badinter (1928-2024) - jurist, professor, former Minister of Justice of France, and a symbol of the fight for human dignity. The event was organized in partnership with the "Alexei Mateevici" Theoretical High School in Cricova, together with Solidarité Laïque and the Embassy of France in the Republic of Moldova, as a gesture of recognition for his intellectual and moral legacy.

The ceremony took place in the presence of Her Excellency Dominique Waag, Ambassador of France to the Republic of Moldova, and brought together students from the Romanian-French "Gheorghe Asachi" Theoretical High School, "Mircea Eliade" High School, "Mihai Viteazul" High School in Chișinău, and the "Alexei Mateevici" Theoretical High School in Cricova.

The event was held at the National Museum of History of Moldova - a place of deep significance for the Badinter family. Over a century ago, Samuel (Simon) Badinter, the father of the renowned jurist, studied here.

Robert Badinter was born on March 30, 1928, in Paris, into a Jewish family originally from Bessarabia. A lawyer, university professor, and politician, he is remembered in French history as the abolisher of the death penalty - a law promulgated on October 9, 1981, following his tireless efforts as Minister of Justice. Throughout his career, Badinter consistently advocated for human rights, freedom, and human dignity.

In his autobiographical volume Idiss (2018), Robert Badinter recounts the tragic fate of his grandmother from Bessarabia, who was deported to the Auschwitz camp - a deeply moving testimony to his emotional connection with his family's place of origin.

Through his life's work, Robert Badinter remains a model of moral courage and humanism, a symbol of the fight against injustice and of unwavering belief in the value of human life.

#Exhibit of the Month

Vignette of Graduates and Teachers of the Chișinău Diocesan Girls’ School, 1911

Tribute Event for Robert Badinter

October 9, 2025

#Exhibit of the Month