ARHIVELE OLTENIEI - Universitatea din Craiova

Communal museums and museum collections of the Dolj distict 125main entrance oriented southwards. One enters a room that has access down intothe cellar and from where a staircase leads up to the first floor, marked withramparts on the outside. In the district of Dolj there is another fortified manor inBrabova; this one also had an observation and defense role 3 .“The Fortified Manor of the Cernăteşti” communal museum was set upbetween 1929/1979. It is the result of the passionate work of school teacherNicolae Pîrvulescu. Unfortunately, nowadays the objects in the museum are notwell preserved, being seriously worn out and dusty. There is no trained curatorwho should work in this museum. The local council of Cernăteşti gave themuseum in the care of an employee of the cultural house who has no academictraining, and for two years has earmarked no funds for the conservation of themuseum and of the fortified manor.“The Fortified Manor of the Cernăteşti” was rehabilitated in June 1999by the military construction unit no. 5, an action funded by Mrs Jana GhicaCernătescu Şuculescu – the last descendent of the Cernătescu family 4 - anhonorary citizen of the Cernăteşti commune, and the result of the efforts of MrAlexandru Marcu – at the time the mayor of the commune – and of eng. DumitruAlexandru, General of division, son of the commune.The museum collection includes archaeological and historic anddocumentary items of exceptional value, material and documentary proof of thepolitical, economic, social, military and religious history of the area, while thefortified manor housing these objects is listed as a historic monument.The only solution to save this museum is to pass it into theadministration of the Museum of Oltenia, which has enough material and humanresources to ensure the restoration, conservation and treatment of the exhibits, aswell as the reopening of the museum.The Jitianu collection of religious art objectsThe collection of religious art objects of the Holy ArchiepiscopalChurch of Craiova is set up in the old Jitianu monastery, a historic monumentdating back to the XVII th century, ever since the epoch of prince ConstantinŞerban and of Lady Bălaşa. Regarding the antiquity of this historic monument,the inscription of 1853 5 , as well as the Country’s Chronicle 6 , shows that thefounder of the monastery was Lady Bălaşa, prince Constantin Cârnu’s spouse; itis her own decision to have this title engraved on her tombstone. 7Many originals of the documents referring to the Jitianu monastery –with St. Dimitrie as patron saint - have been lost; only registered transcriptions3 Ibidem, p.70-74.4 Jana Cernătescu, op.cit., p.193.5 N. Iorga, Inscripţii, I, p.197; V. Drăghiceanu, Monumentele Olteniei, in „BuletinulComisiunii Monumentelor Istorice”, XXVII, p.103.6 N. Iorga, op.cit., p.336; Idem, Istoria bisericii, ediţia II, p. 228.7 I. Donat, Fundaţiunile religioase ale Olteniei. Partea I Mănăstiri şi schituri,Craiova,Editura Scrisul Romnesc, 1937, p.57.