The World as the Mirror for Moldova

THE DNIESTER. RIVER CHRONICLE

Even the Greeks thought these lands were full of mysteries. For them it was the end of the earth and only some of the very courageous travelers would go there. The Greek historian Herodotus said this territory was the motherland of the god of war Ares and the north wind Boreas...

THE DNIESTER AS THE MUSEUM OF PEOPLES

Drifting down the river we are shooting a film about the past and the present of the lands it runs through. Our spectators will see the history of these lands from an unusual point of view, for everything too close often turns out to be the least known. I assure you that the Dniester is not less exotic than such rivers as the Nile, the Euphrates or the Huang He (the Yellow River).

MOLDOVA REFLECTED BY THE DNIESTER

Moldovans, Bulgarians, Gagauz, Russians, Ukrainians, Armenians, Poles – the Dniester’s banks have become a homeland, or a territory of life for many of them. That is why we will try to discover Moldova through the Dniester – through its enigmatic history, overwhelming landscapes and philosophy of people who live on its banks.

CLIMB OF THE ATHOS

...to get there one must have a visa, and it is not easy to get one. By the way, this visa can be later taken under the glass and hung in plain view as an official document of the pilgrimage to this Mecca of Orthodox Christianity...

OUR PROJECTS

«Stephan The Great – 500 Years of Heritage» Project

Project Goal
Project Strategic Program
Subjects of Research
Achievements
News
Partners
Information Support

For many Moldova today is still one of the least noticeable countries of the world. Its own citizens perceive their history as history of a province, confined within its own boundaries: a hardly impressive history even in the eyes of this country’s citizens. Do we know our past? Do we know our country? Do we know the heritage that was left to us by our ancestors?

The year 2004 was dedicated to the 500th anniversary since the death of Stephan III, a remarkable ruler, whose activities were the best illustration to the striving of Moldova’s people to enhance their state, and their readiness to give their lives for the sake of the country’s independence. Moreover, owing to this small country’s fight for independence, Stephan managed to pass on the baton of Greek-Byzantine spirituality to the rest of the world.

Numerous facts of this, perhaps, best known Moldovan ruler’s past were exposed to various manipulative movements in science and therefore are still little known to his descendants, citizens of this country.

Image of Stephan the Great
in Zographou Monastery on Athos (Greece, Khalkidhiki)

Very few people know about his ties with the Greek Athos and the cult of St. George, with Mangoup and the Palaeologus’ dynasty. Very few people know about his real cultural mission not only in his own country, but also in the rest of the Christian world.

St. George the Victor - Stephan’s patron.

Stephan is Moldova’s national hero. He is the symbol of its independent statehood. What do we actually know about him? What do we actually know about our cultural heritage … and about ourselves?

Moldavia’s remarkable contribution to preservation of the Orthodox culture and civilization, unfortunately, is understudied and little known to the rest of the world. Our own cultural heritage is still little studied and often unknown to our own citizens.

The project’s main activities focus upon elimination of “blank spots” in Moldova’s past, upon a targeted study and further promotion of Moldova’s cultural heritage.

Besides bringing mere scientific results, expeditions to Athos, Crimea and Romanian Moldova, as well as production of a documentary will enhance Moldova’s prestige and will improve Moldova-Greece, Moldova-Bulgaria and Moldova-Romania relations in science, culture and religion.

Provided that this project and the next series of projects featuring promotion of our cultural heritage are a success, we can expect a quicker integration of our society and understanding of our country’s past as a value in itself and a unique phenomenon.

PROJECT GOAL

Based on scientific research, cultural and popularizing scientific activities to enable real awareness of our own cultural heritage. The actions are aimed to eliminate “blank spots” in Moldova’s past and build a feeling of pride for our multinational country’s past.

PROJECT STRATEGIC PROGRAM (2004-2005)

• Scientific research
• Conferences and publications
• Promotion

PROJECT OBJECTIVES 2004:

1. Organization of a targeted expedition to Athos following the itinerary of sites which are closely connected with the history of medieval Moldova.
2. A TV project «The Unknown Stephan». Shootings will be made in Greece (The Holy Mount of Athos), Ukraine (Mangoup Plateau, the forts Cetatea Alba and Chilia) and in Romania (Putna and Voronet monasteries, Yassy, Suceava). The TV project is an absolutely new view on Stephan the Great’s medieval Moldova.
3. Elaboration and publication of a calendar-chronicle «Stephan the Great – 2004» dedicated to the year of Stephan the Great that will be a manual with a brief biography of the ruler.
4. Preparation of a series of articles in printed media and on Internet under the heading «Stephan the Great: 500 Years of Heritage».
5. A series of TV programs - «Stephan the Great: 500 Years of Heritage» or «The Unknown Stephan»

SUBJECTS OF RESEARCH

• Monasteries on the Holy Mount of Athos in Greece
• Monasteries of Putna and Voronet, Romania
• Forts of Cetatea Alba (Belgorod-Dnestrovski) and Chilia, Ukraine
• The fort on Mangoup plateau, Crimea, Ukraine

See our photo report on shootings

ACHIEVEMENTS

• A Chronicle-Calendar «Stephan the Great – 2004». An illustrated manual presenting a brief biography of Stephan III. Historical facts versus biased interpretations.
• Expedition following in the tracks of Stephan: the Greek Athos, Crimea and Romania. Research. Meetings with interesting personalities: researchers, students of local lore, journalists and monks.
• A special report «Keys to Athos» on TV channels: ORT 1 in Moldova, Moldova–1, RIF.
• A TV project «The Unknown Stephan». The TV project offers an absolutely new insight into Moldova of Stephan the Great’s time and discovers little known evidence from the ruler’s past. These are three keys to understanding the pyramid of the culture he created, which is Moldova’s priceless heritage nowadays.
«The Unknown Stephan» promo
• A TV project “The Unknown Stephan” shown on leading TV channels of Moldova: ORT 1 in Moldova, Moldova – 1, RIF, REN-TV, НТВ
• Articles in printed media and on Internet

PARTNERS

Scientific and academic centers:

• The University High Anthropological School , Kishinev, Moldova.
• Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of Moldova, Kishinev.
• Historical Museum, Silistra, Bulgaria
• Historical Museum, Bucharest, Romania
• Institute of Archaeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Simferopol

Commercial partners:

• KENTFORD Company, Kishinev, Moldova.
• Sun-Communications Company, Kishinev, Moldova
• PUMA Company, Kishinev, Moldova
• PATRIA Cinema, Kishinev, Moldova

also:

• Interstate TV and Radio Company “MIR”, Moldova Branch, Kishinev, Moldova.
• Ministry of Education, Moldova
• Tourism Development Department, Moldova

INFORMATION SUPPORT:

TV channels: