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.
Royal visit to Chișinău (1920) - images and history
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VIII [XXIII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
The National Museum of History of Moldova came into possession of a mini-collection of illustrated postcards devoted to the visit of King Ferdinand I and Queen Marie of Romania to Bessarabia in May 1920. On the pictures made in the Chișinău photo shop of I. Zemșman there are images of the representatives of royal house and events during the visit that was also reflected in the press of the time, memoirs and historical literature. The postcards depict the following scenes: the royal retinue attending a worship service at the Nativity Cathedral, the royal family during the ceremony in front of the Diocesan House, Queen Marie visiting the People’s Canteen in Chișinău, and two images of the royal retinue on the streets of Chișinău. These images encouraged us to make an overview and summary of the visit, which was a special event not only for the reason that it was made by the rulers of the Kingdom of Romania, but also because it was organized prior to the recognition of the union of Bessarabia with Romania by the major allied powers and immediately after negotiations with the Supreme Committee of the Paris Peace Conference. The royal visit to Bessarabia took place before the signing of the Treaty of October 20, 1920 where the main allied powers recognized its unification with Romania. The need for this visit to Bessarabia was undeniable, as the physical presence of the king is „an act of asserting of legitimacy and suzerainty”.
List of illustrations:
1. Advertisement of I. Zemșman’s photo shop, Chișinău, the beginning of the 20th century. 2. Royal retinue attending a worship service at the Nativity Cathedral, 1920 (Postcard, NMHM). 3. Royal family during ceremonies organized in front of the Diocesan House, 1920 (Postcard, NMHM). 4. Queen Marie visiting the People’s Canteen in Chișinău, 1920 (Postcard, NMHM). 5, 6. The king and queen on the streets of Chișinău. 1920 (Postcard, NMHM).
Ana Grițco
Constantin F. Cazimir’s activity within the Bessarabian zemstva
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. IV [XIX], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Ana Grițco
The First World War (1914-1918) in deltiology
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. IX [XXIV], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie Chișinău, 2015
Ana Grițco
Advertising postcards in the collections of the National Museum of the History of Moldova (late 19th c. - the 1st half of the 20th c.)
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XI [XXVI], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Ana Grițco
The church – a hypostasis of the charity gesture from Bessarabia in the modern period
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. III [XVIII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Ana Grițco
Pages from the history of hotels in Bessarabia. Deltiologic research (2nd half of 19th - early 20th centuries)
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. V [XX], 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
