REMEMBRANCE IN TIME - Index of

22
Remembrance in Time
parishioners from Mileştii Mici on 8 September 1981, when the director of the museum
from Văsieni village, Cutuzov (currently Ialoveni), together with the main curator, drew
up an act, with no. 88, whereby 19 church-patrimony pieces were passed to the balance of
the so-called museum of the Native Land from Văsieni village, “so as to be displayed in
the museum exhibition”. This inventory list included, as follows, three icons of Jesus
Christ and of God’s Mother (in a satisfactory state), Jesus Christ’s icon (one piece), icons
dedicated to the saints Nicholas, Paul, John, Peter, Andrew, to God Father, to the Holy
Trinity (all in good or satisfactory state), a great chandelier and a baptismal font, both
well kept; four pieces belonging to the liturgical garment, all in a deplorable state [25].
We mention that most churches and monasteries were measured and inventoried,
supplying precious data as regards the liturgical inventory and the church garments, the
holy books, the maintenance state of the buildings. Such an inventory referred to Holy
Trinity church from CucuieŃi village, Râşcani [26]. The church was in stone, with a single
altar, the roof in metallic slate, the graveyard surrounded by a stone wall.
A series of archival files do not supply also information as regards the building
assessment, their price in certain stages. This way, from the inventory file of the year
1946, we determined that the church from Antonovca village, Olăneşti, dedicated to Saint
Nicholas, was in stone, covered with black metal. It was destroyed in a percentage of
50%. It was assessed to the sum of 25 000 roubles.
Another church was closed in that period, namely from Tomai village, Ceadâr-Lunga,
the commission similarly determining the damaged state of the building. However, in this
case, two members of the commission, engineers-technicians, refused to sign the act on
the demolition of the building and reported to the commissioner in the Orthodox Church’s
issues on the satisfactory state of the building, on the necessity to make repairs and on the
possibility to further officiate divine services [27].
The files may be classified apart, referring to the functioning of the religious abodes in
the districts to the left of the Dniester, which had reached under the dominance of the
soviet ideology ever since 1918. This way, the church from Lunga village, Dubăsari, was
built in 1897; and, in 1936, the church building was transferred for opening there a
pioneer club. The roof was demolished, the towers were removed, the cross was melt
[28]. In 1942, the church returned to its mission, being functional until 1948. In 1952, the
local kolkhozniks decided, in their meeting, to transfer the desolate church building under
a cereal barn. But, in 1956, the villagers collected above 12 thousand roubles for restoring
the church, officiating the divine service, also asked a priest’s appointment for the church
in Lunga village.
The church from Nezavertailovca village, Slobozia district, in 1952, according to the
technical certificate, was not used because of the age of the building, which reason was
also invoked at closing the building and using it in household purposes. According to the
report of the commission for evaluating the situation, mention was made that “the
building does not have the aspect of a church, the steeples are missing, the wooden
crosses being placed directly on the old roof; it has not functioned for more than three
years; the yard is in disrepair, the orchard trees, broken; therefore, the parishioner
congregation who would attend this church are missing; the priest and the deacon are not
in the village; only the so-called church starosta works, who did not show empowerment
acts, that is the minutes of the meeting held by the congregation where she was chosen in
this office; similarly, neither the revision commission, nor the church committee,
consisting in 20 persons, function.” [29].