590 years since the first documentary attestation of Chisinau: Metropolitan Antonie pleads for the recovery of the heritage of the Metropolis of Bessarabiatranslated

Metropolitan Antonie of Bessarabia sent a message on Tuesday, before the 590th anniversary of the first documentary attestation of Chisinau. His Eminence pleads for the recovery of the heritage of the Metropolis of Bessarabia: "We have the duty to resettle this heritage in the public consciousness".

Father Metropolitan recalls that the first known document in which the name of the city of Chisinau was mentioned was a document of the voivodes of Moldavia dated July 17, 1436.

"Chisinau was born in history around churches, schools, printing houses and cultural institutions. Generations of altar servers, teachers, doctors, lawyers, statesmen and scholars were formed here who understood that a community endures through faith, education and respect for one's own identity," Metropolitan Antonie said.

"In this development, the Metropolis of Bessarabia occupied a decisive place. For generations, it represented one of the great institutions of the Romanian space between the Prut and Dniester, supporting the Romanian school, culture, press, philanthropic life and the formation of intellectual elites."

"A strong historical consciousness took shape around it, based on...