REMEMBRANCE IN TIME - Index of

Manole BRIHUNEł: Archival Files – Research Sources on the Issue of Religious-Abode … 19
on the windows, the cornice decoration in a geometric style, the crosses crowning the
church domes – all underwent the wrath of time. In 1953, a group of experts in
construction drew up a report on the conservation state of the stone church in RăscăieŃi
village, Olăneşti. Invoking that, during World War Two, the church much suffered from
the artillery attacks, the building-liquidation conclusion was again reached, without
proposing the restoration and the repair of the edifice, much as a former illustrious
example of the ecclesiastic architecture from the XIX-th century [9]. At the time of the
final destruction of the church, the walls were practically torn down, the windows
removed, the iconostasis devastated, the roof broken. The bell building on two levels was
better kept: although the walls suffered a lot, the plaster completely fell, the cross still
crowned the bell tower.
The same fate was shared by the church in Palanca village, Olăneşti, which, in 1953
was abolished and respectively demolished. The cruciform building, built in stone, the
arched windows at the top and some pseudo-windows in the side walls, and other
decorative elements, possess obvious wear signs, the roof being covered by grass, and the
walls – in a proportion of 60-70%, torn down [10]. The expertise commission submitted
the following documents: technical act on the damage state of the church; the decision of
the village soviet of 29 June 1953; the decision of the soviet of Olăneşti district from 16
July 1953 and three external and internal images as demonstration of the state of the
church. The decisive role in demolishing the church from Palanca was played by the
commissioner in the Russian Orthodox Church’ issues, P. Romenski, who personally
examined the church and decided to use the construction materials for building a cultural
club and the local maternity house. The church was therefore destroyed and vanished as
ecclesiastic art monument dating to XIX-th century.
Another church from the same Olăneşti district, Purcari village, was situated at 18 m
from the local school. Lest it should collapse over the school building, the commission,
consisting in the local administration and a few constructors, decided to liquidate the
building and to use the remaining stone for the local soviet administration’s purposes
[11]. Commissioner P. Romenski’s role is again obvious, who personally assessed the
building and decided its dismantling with the subsequent use of the construction
materials. The technical certificate of the church as regards the situation in 1953, reported
the following: the church has not operated since 1944; the roof and vault are rotten; the
doors and windows are missing; the walls are creaked; the parishioners do not raise the
problem of repairing the church; the repair is not appropriate, considering its damaged
state [12].
Often, among the main reasons invoked for dismantling churches, mentioned was made
of the military operations, which aggravated the situation, without naming the atrophic
factor, the soviet authorities’ indifference and intentions to further damage the buildings,
refusing their reparation and restoration, which facts also conditioned their liquidation as
religious edifices. A single small-format image of the church was kept, which allows us
to restore overall the originality of the cult architecture: it was built in stone and brick, top
semicircular windows, sophisticated metallic grills; the wall edges are decorated with
geometric motifs; the window decoration is very interesting, forming a top serrated frame
harmoniously completing the window.
In some cases, the archival file also kept the dimensions of the churches to be destroyed.
This way, the church from Copanca, Tiraspol, was built in stone, length of 25 m and
width of 8 m.; the roof was missing, the walls have numerous cracks that may collapse