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.
The Society for the Protection of War Orphans. The Chișinău Regional Committee (1918-1924)
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VIII [XXIII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
After the First World War, in addition to the numerous human and material losses suffered, Romania registered over 360.000 orphans of war. In Bessarabia, 24,142 children remained without one or both parents. Providing for their care and education proved to be a difficult task for the national institutions and charity societies. Among the most influential non-governmental organizations of the time that assumed the noble mission of guardianship these orphans, was the Society for the Protection of War Orphans. This study analyzes the evolution of the Chișinău Regional Committee of the Society for the Protection of War Orphans in the first six years of activity.
List of Annexes:
Annex 1. Minutes of the meetings of the Chișinău Regional Committee of the Society for the Protection of War Orphans. a. Minutes on the establishment of the Chișinău Regional Committee of the Society for the Protection of War Orphans. b. Minutes on the establishment of the Chișinău Regional Committee of the Society for the Protection of War Orphans. Signatures of the founding members. c. Minutes of the meetings of the Chișinău Regional Committee of the Society for the Protection of War Orphans from December 7, 1918. The Archbishop Nicodim Munteanu notifies the association about upholding the decision on the transfer of the diocesan orphanage to the Society. The teacher C. Ionescu, priest Theodore Petrovici and orphanage intendant D.S. Popovici are appointed to the commission for inventory and transfer of the institution’s property. d. At the same meeting, the members are informed about the decision of the Directorate-General for Education to cover the payment of two teachers and one manager for the administration of the kindergarten belonging to the orphanage. The Directorate-General of Internal Affairs donates to the Society 4,000 lei. The Orthodox clergy puts at the disposal of the association 1117,50 lei. Two censors and new members are proposed for the steering committee. e. Members of the Chișinău Regional Committee of the Society for the Protection of War Orphans on December 7, 1918.
Annex 2. The orphanages administrated by the Chișinău Regional Committee of the Society for the Protection of War Orphans. a. The orphanage for girls „Princess Elisabeth” in Cetatea Albă County. b. The orphanage for boys „Queen Marie of Romania” in Cahul County. c. The orphanage for boys „Stefan the Great” in Bălți County. d. The orphanage for boys „ Prince Michael” in Tighina County. e. The orphanage for boys „ Ferdinand I” in Chișinău. f. The children of the orphanage „Olga M. Sturdza” in Tighina County.
Annex 3. The organizational structure of the Society for the Protection of War Orphans (1917-1924).
Mihail Iliev
Vasile Stroescu and Romanians of Bihor County
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VI [XXI], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
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...
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
