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#Exhibit of the Month

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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.

Virtual Tour


Publications Journal „Tyragetia"


Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XII [XXVII], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
ISSN 1857-0240
E-ISSN 2537-6330

Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XII [XXVII], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică

Chișinău, 2018

Researches


Михаил Видейко
Crises and early urbanization processes in Europe

Vasile Iarmulschi
Überlegungen zur Chronologie und Periodisierung den Siedlungen der Poieneşti-Lucaşeuca-Kultur

Liana Oţa
Sarmatian children graves in Wallachia and Moldavia

Papers and surveys


Оксана Вотякова
The industry of Layer II of the Korolevo site in Transcarpathia

Игорь Пиструил
Complex of flint tools from Zaliznichnoe site (based on materials collected in 1970)

Наталья Бурдо
Anthropomorphic figurines from early Bronze Age burial mounds in the Bug-Dnieper interfluves and the Dnieper area

Elena Izbitser
Bulls and Wagons: an “innovative” approach to representing archaeological data

Игорь Сапожников
The beginning of the study of Budjak burial mounds: historiography and cartography

Vasile Diaconu, Mariana Sîrbu
Uncommon practice of re-use of Bronze Age stone axes

Simina Margareta Stanc, Vasile Diaconu, Luminiţa Bejenaru
Animal Resources in the Economy of the Noua Culture (Bronze Age) Communities: case study on the settlement at Crasnaleuca (Botosani County, Romania)

Виктор Гребенников
Settlements, sites and hoards of the Steppe Pobuzhye of the Late Bronze Age (materials for the archaeological map)

Игорь Сапожников, Юрий Болтрик
Yagorlyk mounds near the Dniester: history of study, cartography and topography

Eugen Uşurelu, Andrei Nicic
Findings of metal objects of the Bronze and Iron Ages on the territory of the Republic of Moldova

Роман Зимовец, Сергей Скорый, Виталий Окатенко
Bronze matrix from Bilsk forthill: about Central Asian motifs in early Scythian animal style of Northern Black Sea Cost

Octavian Munteanu, Nicolae Batog, Valeriu Prohniţchi
The Getic defensive system of Butuceni-West: details regarding the West No. 2 defensive line trajectory

Денис Бондаренко
The Viktorоvka-I settlement of the Late Archaic time

Sergiu Matveev, Ana Boldureanu
A bronze Macedonian coin from the village of Tudora (Ştefan Vodă District)

George-Dan Hânceanu
Les Bastarnes de Roşiori. Les résultats de la campagne archéologique de l’année 2016

Ion Tentiuc, Valeriu Bubulici
An incineration burial in metal urn (2nd-3rd c. AD) discovered at Iagorlîc, Dubăsari

Vlad D. Ghimpu
Canonical rules and the actual orientation of altars in early Christian churches. Ancient and early medieval places of worship in Romanian lands

Михаил Веревкин, Юрий Пятницкий
On the Issues of the Technical Examination of Oriental Silver in the Collection of the State Hermitage Museum

Звездана Доде
Parts of the Female Costume from a Golden Horde Grave of the Tingutinsky I Kurgan Cemetery. Conservation and preliminary conclusions

Игорь Прохненко, Мария Жиленко
Knight’s tombstone from Korolevo castle of Nyaláb

Дмитрий Янов
The hoard of coins of 15th-16th centuries from the collection of Local Lore Museum in Vylkove

Алексей Фурасьев
“The Great Migration Period” – a new exhibition in the State Hermitage Museum

Paper and book review


Mihail Băţ
Г.И. Смирнова, М.Ю. Вахтина, М.Т. Кашуба, Е.Г. Старкова, Городище Немиров на реке Южный Буг. По материалам раскопок в XX веке из коллекций Государственного Эрмитажа и Научного архива ИИМК РАН. Приложения: К.Б. Калинина, А. Закосьцельна, М. Кершнер и Х. Моммзен, С.В. Хаврин, Санкт-Петербург: Невская книжная типография, 2018, 336 с. ISBN: 978-5-9909872-2-7

Homage


Dan Matei
Profesorul Mihai Bărbulescu

 



 

 

Independent Moldova
Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic
Bessarabia and MASSR between the Two World Wars
Bessarabia and Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in the Period between the Two World Wars
Revival of National Movement
Time of Reforms and their Consequences
Abolition of Autonomy. Bessarabia – a New Tsarist Colony
Period of Relative Autonomy of Bessarabia within the Russian Empire
Phanariot Regime
Golden Age of the Romanian Culture
Struggle for Maintaining of Independence of Moldova
Formation of Independent Medieval State of Moldova
Era of the
Great Nomad Migrations
Early Middle Ages
Iron Age and Antiquity
Bronze Age
Aeneolithic Age
Neolithic Age
Palaeolithic Age
  
  

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#Exhibit of the Month

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...

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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.
©2006-2025 National Museum of History of Moldova
Visit museum 31 August 1989 St., 121 A, MD 2012, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
Phones:
Secretariat: +373 (22) 24-43-25
Department of Public Relations and Museum Education: +373 (22) 24-04-26
Fax: +373 (22) 24-43-69
E-mail: office@nationalmuseum.md
Technical Support: info@nationalmuseum.md
Web site administration and maintenance: Andrei EMILCIUC

 



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.
©2006-2025 National Museum of History of Moldova
Visit museum 31 August 1989 St., 121 A, MD 2012, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
Phones:
Secretariat: +373 (22) 24-43-25
Department of Public Relations and Museum Education: +373 (22) 24-04-26
Fax: +373 (22) 24-43-69
E-mail: office@nationalmuseum.md
Technical Support: info@nationalmuseum.md
Web site administration and maintenance: Andrei EMILCIUC

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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.
©2006-2025 National Museum of History of Moldova
Visit museum 31 August 1989 St., 121 A, MD 2012, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
Phones:
Secretariat: +373 (22) 24-43-25
Department of Public Relations and Museum Education: +373 (22) 24-04-26
Fax: +373 (22) 24-43-69
E-mail: office@nationalmuseum.md
Technical Support: info@nationalmuseum.md
Web site administration and maintenance: Andrei EMILCIUC