It is said that the icons, by the divine grace they have, choose their own places from where they can manifest their powers of blessing and consolation. It so happened that one icon of the Mother of God has remained on our lands from the end of the 18th century, when the battles of the Russo-Turkish war of 1787-1791 took place here. The circumstances of the appearance of this icon in Bessarabia are confirmed by several historical references, from which it follows that the Russian officer N.A. Albaduev, a participant in the military campaign, brought this icon here with him, and after his death his relatives – the colonel’s wife or his mother – gave this icon to the monastery, where he suddenly died when he came there on Christmas to receive communion. The icon of the Mother of God was initially placed in the old wooden church, where the officer’s grave was located, and then was placed in the new Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, built and consecrated in 1816.
Soon the icon became very popular, and its fame increased enormously thanks to the healings that occurred thanks to the intercession of the Mother of God; the names of the healed people, their place of residence and sufferings were described in periodicals. Archimandrite Seraphim, hegumen of the monastery in from 1805 to 1827, mentioned the special veneration of the icon of the Mother of God from the Hârbovăţ Monastery by Orthodox people who are always looking for help and intercession from this icon of the Empress of The World. Believers called it a wonder-making icon even before the Holy Synod issued Decree No. 526 of January 26, 1859, signed by Emperor Alexander II, proclaiming the icon of the Our Lady of Hârbovăţ as the Wonder-Making. Recognizing the miraculous properties of this icon, the Holy Synod also organized religious processions with the delivery of the icon to Chişinău on October 1 and its subsequent return to the monastery on April 23.
The icon of the Mother of God of Hârbovăţ is one of the earliest and most popular types of the Theotokos icons, that of Hodegetria. In this iconographic depiction, the Mother of God and the Child are presented in a frontal position, looking at the one who is praying. The Mother of God holds the Child on Her left hand, and with Her right hand points to Him, the Child blesses with His right hand, holding in His left hand a sacred scroll – a symbol of the Gospel. Regarding the images, it should be said that the icons of the Herbovets Mother of God differ from the traditional icons of the Hodegetria type in a special relationship between the characters, their mutual affection is expressed in poses, in the tilt of the heads, in the gentle expression of the Child’s face. We can say that in the iconography of the Mother of God of Hârbovăţ, features of two different types of Theotokos are harmoniously combined: the Mother of God Hodegetria, or Our Lady of the Way, and the Mother of God Eleusa, or the Virgin of Tenderness.
Exact copies of this icon are still kept in the summer church of the Noul Neamţ Monastery in the village of Chiţcani (Căuşeni), in the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Church in the village of Sîrcova (Rezina), in the All Saints Church in Chişinău (early 20th century), in the Transfiguration Cathedral in Bolgrad, in the Transfiguration Monastery in Tatarbunary, in the Saint Paraskeva Church in the village of Furatovka (Odessa Oblast), in the Saint Archangel Michael Monastery in Odessa, in the Ascension Monastery in Teplodar (Ukraine), in the Holy Trinity Monastery in the village of Mramor, near Topolovgrad (Bulgaria), in the Holy Great Martyr Theodore Tyron Cathedral in Chişinău, in the Saint Prince Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Ungheni, and other churches.
A house of the 15th century explored in the fortified settlement of Horodca Mică
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VIII [XXIII], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
The archaeological investigations at the Getae fortifi ed settlement of Horodca Mică revealed some materials from the medieval period. In the central part of its internal space a one-room dwelling with the fl oor deepened into the ground was found, characterized by two phases of habitat At the fi rst stage it was warmed by a clay oven located in the middle of the east wall, and at the second - by a rounded open hearth located in the central part of the room (fig. 3).
In the filling and on the fl oor of the house, besides rather interesting collection of ceramics, there were found the following objects: an iron knife (fig. 6/5), an sub-rectangular iron buckle (fi g. 6/4), a leaf-shaped arrowhead (fig. 6/2) and a fragment of a whetstone with hanging hole (fi g. 6/1). On the fl oor of the house there was also found a medieval coin (fig. 6/6) issued by Moldavian Prince Iliaș (1432-1443), which was attributed to type V and dated approximately from 1442.
The discovery of the coin makes possible dating the dwelling with the fi rst half of 15th century. Further investigation of the internal space of the Getae fortifi ed settlement will show whether it was an isolated dwelling or it was part of the medieval settlement arranged on the place of an ancient fortress by virtue of the military-political circumstances.
List of illustrations:
Fig. 1. Horodca Mică. 1 - Location of the site of Horodca Mică; 2 - topographic map and the location of the excavations in 2006-2011. Fig. 2. Horodca Mică 2011. Section no. VII. Plan of section with discoveries within squares A6-A10 and southern profile. Fig. 3. Horodca Mică 2011. Plan and section of the medieval dwelling. Fig. 4. Horodca Mică 2011. Section no. VII. Complex no. 117/Medieval dwelling: 1, 2 - remains of the medieval dwelling; 3, 4 - remains of the furnace from the dwelling. Fig. 5. Horodca Mică 2011. Section no. VII. Complex no. 117/Medieval dwelling: 1, 2 - pillar pits inside the dwelling; 3, 4 - carbonized remains of pillars supporting roof; 5, 6 - remains of the hearth discovered in the central part of the dwelling. Fig. 6. Horodca Mică 2011. Section no. VII. Inventory objects from Complex no. 117/Medieval dwelling: 1 - whetstone; 2 - arrow head; 3 - bronze board (overlay-?); 4 - buckle; 5 - knife; 6 - coin (1 - sandstone; 2, 4, 5 - iron; 3 - bronze; 6 - silver). Fig. 7. Horodca Mică 2010. Section no. VI: 1-4 - silver coins discovered in the cultural layer.
It is said that the icons, by the divine grace they have, choose their own places from where they can manifest their powers of blessing and consolation. It so happened that one icon of the Mother of God has remained on our lands from the end of the 18th century, when the battles of the Russo-Turkish war of 1787-1791 took place here. The circumstances of the appearance of this icon in Bessarabia are confirmed by several historical references, from which it follows that the Russian officer N.A. Albaduev, a participant in the military campaign, brought this icon here with him, and after his death his relatives – the colonel’s wife or his mother – gave this icon to the monastery, where he suddenly died when he came there on Christmas to receive communion. The icon of the Mother of God was initially placed in the old wooden church, where the officer’s grave was located, and then was placed in the new Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, built and consecrated in 1816..
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.
