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.
Copper Age burials with “extended” skeletons in the Carpathian-Dniester region
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. IV [XIX], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
In the article the problem of cultural and chronological attribution of Copper Age graves with skeletons in extended position is discussed. Due to the almost complete absence of grave inventory in the burials the most reliable attribute for analysis is the shape of the grave chambers in combination with other elements (stratigraphic position, orientation of the dead, few items of grave goods, etc.). Three basic forms of chambers are distinguished: large oval pits, long narrow pits, and large rectangular pits. Graves with large oval pits posses the most archaic traits and probably can be recognized as the most ancient Copper Age contexts under barrows. The earliest graves can be dated to the second half of the 5th Millennium BC although all graves under barrows are, so far, dated from the 4th Millennium BC. The graves from this group in barrows always precede burials of the Pit-grave culture and some- times burials of the late Copper Age Usatovo culture. In some barrows they can follow other Copper Age graves. The graves in long narrow pits seem to be later and, according to kurgan stratigraphy, always precede graves of the Pit- grave culture, but sometimes follow late Copper Age graves or burials of the Usatovo culture. The extended graves in large rectangular chambers can be considered as a variant within the funeral tradition of the Pit-grave culture. Distinctions between the groups under consideration can be conditioned by their different origins. Whereas the graves from the first group can represent the development of a local tradition related to the Balkan-Carpathian cultural milieu, the graves from the second group can reflect connection with eastern European cultures. At the same time the graves from the third group are related to the Pit-grave culture.
Николай Руссев, Михаил Фокеев, Игорь Манзура
Barrow of the Copper and Bronze Ages near the Village of Suvorovo, Odessa County
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VII [XXII], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
Игорь Манзура
Дергачев В.А. О скипетрах. Этюды в защиту миграционной концепции М. Гимбутас. Revista arheologică. vol. I. Nr. 2. Chișinău, 2005, 166 стр. ISSN 1857-016X.
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. I [XVI], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
Игорь Манзура, Владислав Петренко
The Usatovo kurgan cemetery II (excavation 1984)
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XVI [XXXI], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică, Chişinău, 2022
Igor Manzura
Rare finds of the paleometal age from the Dniester-Prut interfluve
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XVIII [XXXIII], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
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...
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.
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.
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.
31 August 1989 St., 121 A, MD 2012, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
