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.
• Nicolae Răileanu, Considerații privind activitatea muzeelor din SUA (Some Considerations Concerned Museums' in USA) • Elena Prus, Cezar Secrieru, Muzeul ca spațiu de receptare a valorilor spirituale (Museum as a Receptacle of Spiritual Values) • Aliona Duplei, Expoziția - formă de expresie a muzeului (Exhibition as a Form of Expression in a Museum) • Lucia Tonu, De la muzeul satului la ecomuzeu (From the VillageMuseum to an Eco-Museum) • Marina Tanașciuc, Scurtă istorie a evoluției vocației educative a instituției muzeale (History of Evolution of a Museum Educative Mission) • Eugenia Borodac, Tamara Stamatov, Criterii privind determinarea porțelanurilor (Some Criteria of Determination of China Articles Authenticity) • Natalia Kalașnikova, La aniversarea a 100 ani de la inaugurarea Muzeului Etnografic Rus din Sankt-Petersburg (By the 100th Anniversary of the Russian Museum of Ethnography from Sankt-Petersburg) • Lilia Calughin, Andrei Tetercev, Sistemul Automatizat de Evidență a Patrimoniului Muzeului Național de Istorie a Moldovei (The Museum Funds Registration Automatized System of the NationalMuseum of History)
II. Arheologie șl istorie (Archaeology and history)
• Maher Wanli, Ilie Borziac, Cultura Stânca ori preaurignacian? (The Stânca Culture or the Aurignacian One?) • Nicolae Chetraru, Serghei Covalenco, Considerații privind vârsta relativă a stațiunii din paleoliticul superior Rașcov VII (Considerations Concerned the Relative Age of the Upper Paleolithic Site Rașcov VII) • Victor Sorochin, Relațiile între culturile Precucuteni-Tripolie A și Bolgrad-Aldeni (Relations between the Precucuteni-Tripolie A and the Bolgrad-Aldeni Cultures) • Natalia Mateevici, Ştampile amforistice grecești din colecția de antichități a lui Victor Borșevici (Stamps on the Greek Amphorae from the V. Borshchevich Collection of Antiquities) • NicolaeTelnov, Alexandru Levinschi,Dacii liberi - o nouă cultură arheologică în Republica Moldova(Free Dacians - a New Archaeological Culture of the Republic of Moldova) • Alexandru Levinschi, Date preliminare privind datarea complexelor getice "Saharna - La Revechin" (Preliminary Data Concerning the Age of the Getian Site Settlement "Saharna - La Revekin" Complexes) • Ion Dron, Tyras (Turla/Nistru) - mărturie incontestabilă a autohtonizmului daco-getic (românesc) (Tyras (Turla/Nistru) - an Uncontestable Evidence of Geto-Dacian (Romanian) Primordial Territory) • Liviu Vacarciuc, Vestigii Antice despre dezvoltarea horticulturii (Vestiges Concerned Development of Horticulture) • Ion Tentiuc, Particularități și semnificații ale ritului și ritualului funerar în spațiul est-carpatic în secolele XI-XIII (Particularitys of a Funeral Rite on the Territory Situated to the East of the Carpathian Mountains in 11th-13th Centuries) • Dinu Poștarenco, Trecerea armatelor rusești pe la Soroca în 1711 (Russian Army's Crossing the Dniester by Soroca in 1711) • Vladimir Mischevca, Biserica "Acoperământul Maicii Domnului" din Rașcov (The Virgin's IntercessionChurch from Rașcov) • Vlad D. Ghimpu, Săpături arheologice medievale Lăpușna-2000 (Archaeological Excavations Lăpușna – 2000) • Vlad D. Ghimpu, Biserici creștine aflate în târgurile Moldovei administrate de otomani (ChristianChurches in the Moldavian Boroughs Ruled by Ottomans) • Ion Chirtoagă, Pătrunderea ideilor de modernizare în Europa de Sud-Est, în prima jumătate a sec. al XVIII-lea (The Penetration of the Ideas of Modernization into South Eastern Europe in the 1st Half of the 18th Century) • Nadejda Botea, Cartea religioasă de la Rîmnic în sec. XVIII. Din colecția Muzeului Național de Istorie a Moldovei (Religious Book of the 18m Century from Râmnic from the NationalMuseum of History of Moldova Collection) • Ala Melniciuc, Din istoria Eparhiei din Herson. Primii păstori • Mihai Onilă, Mazilii din ținutul Orhei - Lăpușna conform recensământului din 1774 (Mazils from the Orhei - Lăpușna District According to the Census of 1774) • Silvia Corlăteanu-Granciuc, Contribuții documentare la istoria comunității grecești din Basarabia în secolul al XlX-lea (Documentary Contributions to the History of the Greek Community from Bessarabia in the 19th century) • Angela Bușilă, Considerații istoriografice despre obiceiul înmormântării din Basarabia (mijlocul sec. al XlX-lea - prima jumătate a sec. al XX-lea) (Historiographer's Materials Concerned the Funeral Customsfrom Bessarabia (the Middle of 19th - the First Half of 20th Centuries)) • Ana Grițco, File din istoria orfelinatului Balș (Pages from the History of the Balș Orphanage) • Irina Ijboldina, Olga Nacco. File biografice (Olga Nacco: Biographical Essay) • Elena Ploșnița, Cartea în Muzeul Basarabean (1889-1940) (A Book in the BessarabianMuseum) • Aurelia Cornețchi, Contribuții la istoria Liceului de fete Maria Doamnă din Orhei (1907-1944) (Contributions to the History of the Girls' Lyceum from Orhei) • Diana Iepure, Pianul în ambianța cultă basarabeană (a doua jumătate a secolului XIX - începutul secolului XX) (The piano in the Bessarabian Society) • Vera Stăvilă, Documente inedite cu referință la minoritățile etnice din Basarabia interbelică (Unpublished Documents Concerning the Ethnic Minorities Bessarabia in the Inter-War Period) • Maria Danilov, Eminescu și Basarabia (Eminescu and Bessarabia) • Elena Postică, Basarabeni în refugiu: Sergiu Grossu (Bessarabians in Exile: Sergiu Grossu) • Rodica Solovei, Trecerea Nistrului de către Armata Română (1941) -o decizie controversată (Crossing the Dniester River by the Romanian Army (1941): a Controversial Decision) • Serghei Digol, Situația etno-demografică a regiunii transnistrene în primii ani postbelici (1945-1950) (Ethnic-Demographic Situation in the Region Situated Across the Dniester River (Transnistria) (1945-1950)) • Ludmila Toma, Viața și opera lui Vasile Toma (1937-1984) (Life and Creative Work of Vasili Toma (1937-1984)) • Andrei Zenkin, A.V. Suvorov în faleristica, filatelia și arta regională (din fondurile Muzeului din Tiraspol) • Silviu Andrieș-Tabac, Comisia Națională de heraldică a Republicii Moldova la 5 ani de activitate (The National Heraldic Committee of the Republic of Moldova:Five Years of Activity) • Ecaterina Bondarenco, Formarea cadrelor de conservare-restaurare - imperative al timpului (Dictates of Time: Restorers' Training) • Svetlana Speranschi, Colecția de icoane din patrimoniul Muzeului Național de Istorie a Moldovei (General Analysis of Icons' Collection from the NationalMuseum of History of Moldova) • Nicolae Dâmcenco, Expozițiile de arte plastice în muzeele din Tiraspol
III. Omagii șl recenzii (Homages and reviews)
• Nicolae Răileanu, Serghei Covalenco,Constanta vieții • Alexandru Levinschi, A 70-a aniversare - Nicolae Chetraru • Paraschiva Victoria Batarciuc,Cahle din Moldova medievală în secolele XIV-XVIl, Editura Istros, Suceava, 1999, 314 p. (Pavel Bârnea, Anatol Gorodenco)
IV. Cronică muzeală (Museums’ chronicle)
• Aurelia Cornețchi, Cronica activității Muzeului Național de Istorie a Moldovei, anul 2000
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...
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
