#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.
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 Events Archive
Movie night under the stars, Third Edition
July 9, 2016
The National Museum of History of Moldova hosted the 3rd edition of the Movie night under the stars, in collaboration with the Association on Charity and Promotion of Civic Culture. The event was held in the courtyard on the museum every night of Thursday, Friday and Saturday in the period between June 30 and July 9, starting at 21.00. For the 2016 edition, were chosen six international productions from the 50s and 60s of the twentieth century - comedies and dramas, films with box office success and with international film festivals awards. Below are listed the films from this year's edition: • 30th June, Операция «Ы» и другие приключения Шурика / Operation Y and Shurik's Other Adventures (1965), 90 minutes Directed by Leonid Gayday Cast: Aleksandr Demyanenko, Aleksei Smirnov, Vladimir Basov, Yuri Nikulin, Georgy Vitsin, etc. • 1st July, Берегись автомобиля / Beware of the Car (1966), 94 minutes Directed by Eldar Ryazanov Cast: Innokenty Smoktunovsky, Oleg Yefremov, Andrei Mironov, Yevgeniy Yevstigneyev etc. • 2nd July, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964), 91 minutes Directed: Jacques Demy Cast: Catherine Deneuve, Nino Castelnuovo, Anne Vernon etc. • 7th July, Le Gendarme de Saint-Tropez (1964), 90 minutes Directed by Jean Girault Cast: Louis de Funès, Geneviève Grad, Michel Galabru etc. • 8th July, Roman Holiday (1953), 118 minutes Directed by William Wyler Cast: Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn, Eddie Albert etc. • 9th July, Singing in the Rain (1952), 103 minutes Directed by Gene Kelly, Stanley Donen Cast: Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds etc.
The films were screened in the original language with subtitles in Romanian. At the event was presented an exhibition of photography (11 young photographers exhibited their works) and painting (made by Adriana Adam, Eugenia Levițchi and Irina Baltag). In the program of the six movie nights were included some musical moments performed by young artists and bands such as: Alexandra Cebotari, „Cosmos în buzunar" (Cosmos in the Pocket), „Altă Planetă" (Another Planet), "Miriam" etc. The event "Movie night under the stars" gathered around 800 movie lovers in the courtyard of the National Museum of History of Moldova.
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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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