The great ruler Stephen the Great, outstanding army commander and diplomat, was also concerned during his life with the economic prosperity of the country, supporting the development of crafts, trade and fairs. During his reign, groși and half groși minted in the dinar system were issued, a monetary system introduced in Moldova during the last reign of Petru Aron (1455-1457).
The coins were minted from silver of superior title, those that reflect stability in the economic life of the country at that time. Their masterful execution at the Suceava mint is among the beautiful artistic achievements during the reign of Stephen the Great.
During his reign, two types of issues were minted, for the two denominations: groși and half groși.
Type I issues have a split shield on the obverse; in the first quarter appears a rose surmounted by a cross and three fascias, in the second quarter. For the epigraph issues (groși), the image is accompanied by the circular legend with the name of the issuer: + STEFANVS VOIEVODA. On the other side appears the bour's head with a star between the horns accompanied by the heraldic furniture - the rose and the contoured crescent, placed to the right and left of the bour's head; circular legend: MOLDAVIE COIN.
On type II coins in the shield on the obverse appears a patriarchal cross (double) and the legend STEFANVSVOIEVOD or abbreviated STEFANVSVOIE. On the reverse, as in type I, the bour's head with heraldic attributes is preserved: rose right/crescent left and crescent right/rose left. A star or rose appears between the ox's horns. The legend accompanying the face with the bour head is MONETAMOLDAVI or abbreviated MONETAMOLDA.
The dating of Stephen the Great's coins is still under discussion. According to one opinion, type I issues were minted between 1457-1476, and type II between 1480/1481-1505 (Octavian Iliescu), and another 1465/1467-1475/1476 for type I and 1476/1479-1497 for type II (Ernest Oberländer-Târnoveanu).
The coins in this showcase were discovered during the archaeological excavations at Orheiul Vechi (Trebujeni, Orhei district) in the 6th and 7th decades of the 20th century:
1. Type I money issues, groși, silver 2. Type II money issues, groși, silver 3. Type II coin issue, half groși, silver
The Council for the Affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church at the Council of Ministers of the USSR (1943-1965) – a special body for communication between the State and the Church
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. IX [XXIV], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie Chișinău, 2015
Abstract
Normalization of relations between the Church and the State during the war led to the need to create a special body to establish relations between the State and the Russian Orthodox Church. Therefore, in August 1943 the Council for the Affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church attached to the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR was formed. G. Karpov, a former member of the Soviet KGB, was appointed the head of the new body. Managing staff of the Council was picked from a list of party nomenclature. The Council was located in Moscow, Kropotkin Street, on the second floor of the building No. 20. Soon, the number of employees of this body has increased significantly.
The order of the Council stated that it would maintain links between the Government of the USSR and the Moscow Patriarchy on matters within the competence of the Government.
Among other things, the Council was to "improve" the image of the USSR abroad. Presidents of the Council regularly hosted foreign correspondents. Each meeting was followed by reports.
The responsibilities of Presidents of the Council included regular meetings with leaders of the Church for discussions and consultations on various issues.
It is believed that the creation of a special Council for relations with the Russian Orthodox Church was due to active patriotic activities of the Orthodox Church during the Second World War, as well as to the struggle for the international leadership of the USSR in the period of 1940-1950. In this context, the Moscow Patriarchy was supposed to be a kind of tool in the foreign policy of the USSR.
The analysis of the new archival documents allows concluding that the religious policy of the Soviet State during the second half of the 1940s was determined by the external and internal political situation in the postwar period. The attitude of the Party and Government towards the Orthodox Church were determined by pragmatic interests, rather than a desire to take into account the spiritual needs of citizens.
Nicolae Fuștei
Religious Communities of Evangelical Christian Baptists in the MSSR (1944-1965)
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XIII [XXVIII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Nicolae Fuștei
Books of metropolitan Dosoftei kept in various European collections
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. II [XVII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Nicolae Fuștei
Institution for communication between the Soviet government and religious cults - the Council for Religious Cults Affairs under the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union (1944-1965)
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. X [XXV], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Nicolae Fuștei
The Soviet state bodies, aimed to address the problems of religious denominations in the interwar period (1918-1940)
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VIII [XXIII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Nicolae Fuștei
Metropolitan Gavriil Bănulescu-Bodoni's attitude to some negative phenomena in society and the church during the period of Exarchate of Moldavia, Wallachia, and Bessarabia (1808-1812)
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VI [XXI], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
The great ruler Stephen the Great, outstanding army commander and diplomat, was also concerned during his life with the economic prosperity of the country, supporting the development of crafts, trade and fairs. During his reign, groși and half groși minted in the dinar system were issued, a monetary system introduced in Moldova during the last reign of Petru Aron (1455-1457)...
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
