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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. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
ISSN 1857-0240
E-ISSN 2537-6330

Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XII [XXVII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie

Chișinău, 2018

Researches


Valentin Tomuleţ
Lists of the population and official statistics of the Russian Empire as important sources for studying the modern history of Bessarabia

Gherghina Boda
Museum education as a form of non-formal education

Papers and surveys


Katarzyna Niemczyk
Antemurale christianitatis? Anti-Turkish propaganda and the true goal of Johannes Olbracht’s crusade

Şarolta Solcan
The perception of women based on the witchcraft trials from Transylvania between the 16th and the 18th centuries

Cătălina Chelcu
Punitive Methods for Unfulfilled Taxes in Moldavia (the second half of the 17th and the first half of the 18th century)

Arnaud Parent
Vivre en bonne intelligence sur les deux rives du Dniestr: les relations diplomatiques entre la Principaute de Moldavie et la Republique des Deux Nations (1757-1763)

Игорь Сапожников
Simeon’s cave monastery near the Rogi village on the Dniester river

Sergius Ciocanu
New information on the construction of the Ascension Church in Chişinău and on its precursor – the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul

Maria Danilov
The Bessarabian manuscript of the Anthim’s sermons

Anatolie Leşcu
Providing the Russian army with vehicles during its location in Bessarabia (1832-1853)

Andrei Emilciuc
Agents of guild merchants in Bessarabia: legal framework and entrepreneurship sphere (1812-1853)

Lilia Zabolotnaia
The strength and weakness of Alexandra Osipovna Smirnova-Rosset (on the history of the origins of one of the women of the Pushkin era)

Eugen-Tudor Sclifos
Great Britain and the issue of Southern Bessarabia in 1856-1857

Cosmin-Ştefan Dogaru
Courses de chevaux et courses d’automobiles: les clubs exclusivistes roumains entre la fin du XIXe siecle et le debut du XXe siecle

Cristina Tănase
Participation of the inhabitants of Braşov in the Austro-Hungarian patriotic efforts. The action “Gold gab ich fur Eisen” (“I give gold for iron”)

Anatolie Povestca
The legitimacy of the presence of Romanian troops in Bessarabia and the reaction of the native population to it (December 1917 - March 1918)

Elena Ploşniţa
“Golgotha” of the Monument to the Union in Chişinău

Cristina Tănase
Clock on the Tower of the Council House in Braşov: Pages of history

Lilia Crudu
The cadre policy of the top echelon of Moldavian Communist Party apparatus in 1940-1941/1944)

Nicolae Fuştei
Activity of the Romanian Orthodox Mission in Transnistria (1941-1944)

Marko Katić
The proskynetarion icon in the private collection

Дмитрий Гуревич
Neo-Byzantine liturgical set of the Russian Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna, Duchess of Edinburgh

Ana Griţco
Eminescu’s literary works and Leonard Salmen’s drawings. Research in the field of deltiology

Adelaida Chiroşca
Icons “Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane” from the collection of the National Museum of History of Moldova

Ana Griţco
An exhibition that stopped time

Unification of 1918 in museum collections


Elena Ploşniţa
The events preceding the Union of 1918 reflected in the Luminătorul Magazine

Elena Postică
From the archives of the former KGB to the possession of the museum. History of one collection

Vera Stavilă
The fighters for the unification in the collections of the National Museum of History of Moldova: Constantin Stere

Elena Postică
Anniversary exhibition “Centenary of Great Romania”

Vera Serjant
Medals from the collections of the National Museum of History of Moldova, dedicated to the event of the Great Union

Anatolie Povestca
Daniel Ciugureanu (1885-1950), a distinguished personality of the Romanian people

Paper and book review


Andrei Prohin
Andrei Timotin, Profeţii bizantine şi postbizantine în Ţările Române (secolele al XVII-lea - al XIX-lea). Bucureşti: Editura Academiei Române, 2015, 208 p. ISBN: 978-973-27-2586-3

Вячеслав Степанов
История жизни Марии Кантемир в письмах и документах, автор-составитель Лилия Заболотная. Кишинэу: «Lexon Prim», 2018, 270 с. ISBN 978-9975-139-44-1

Lilia Zabolotnaia
Helena Krasowska, The Polish Minority in South-Eastern Ukraine. Warsaw: Institute of Slavic Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences, 2017, 389 p. ISBN: 978-83-64031-65-6

 



 

 

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

menu
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