The Church of Assumption of Our Lady, Căuşeni () is a historical monument in
Căuşeni,
Moldova
Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. ...
. The church was painted in 1763 by Radu and Voicu Stanciul.
History
The specific date of the construction of the church is not known but it is believed to have been originally constructed in the 15th century, where it is considered by historians as one of the best preserved examples of a medieval church in the southern
Bessarabia
Bessarabia () is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Bessarabia lies within modern-day Moldova, with the Budjak region covering the southern coa ...
region.
A local legend asserts that the muslim
Tatars
Tatars ( )[Tatar]
in the Collins English Dictionary are a group of Turkic peoples across Eas ...
, that had occupied
Moldavia
Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially in ...
at the time, granted permission for the Orthodox Christians to build the church providing that it was not built taller than the height of a soldier on horseback carrying a spear. This was in order that it was not seen as a challenge to their mosques.
In accordance with this request, the church was constructed sunken into the ground.
In 1763, the interior of the church was decorated with detailed Christian frescos painted by Radu and Voicu Stanciul, according to an inscription in Greek within the church.
In 1807, following the removal of the muslim administration, a tower with a cross on top was added to the church.
During the
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
's rule in the
Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic
The Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic or Moldavian SSR (, mo-Cyrl, Република Советикэ Сочиалистэ Молдовеняскэ), also known as the Moldovan Soviet Socialist Republic, Moldovan SSR, Soviet Moldavia, Sovie ...
, the church was transformed into a warehouse and later a
smoking
Smoking is a practice in which a substance is combusted, and the resulting smoke is typically inhaled to be tasted and absorbed into the bloodstream of a person. Most commonly, the substance used is the dried leaves of the tobacco plant, whi ...
and fruit drying industrial building, which had the consequence of damaging the frescos. In 1983, it was given the status of a monument and handed over by the Soviet authorities to the
National Museum of Fine Arts.
In the 2020s, the Church was restored following intervention from the Moldovan Ministry of Culture. The
Embassy of the United States, Chişinău contributed $1 million towards the restoration with funding from the
Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation
The Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation is one of many programs run by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs as part of its mission of public diplomacy through educational and cultural programming and ...
. The church was reopened in 2024.
Gallery
Image:Causeni church.jpg
Image:MD-2009-20lei-Biserica-b.png
Bibliography
*Constantin Ciobanu – ''Biserica Adormirea Maicii Domnului din Căuşeni'', Editura Ştiinţa,
Chişinău, 1997;
*Pavel Balan, ''Icoana Sufletului Nostru'', Ed. Hyperion,
Chişinău, 1992.
References
External links
Biserici din Moldova - Biserica "Adormirea Maicii Domnului" din Căuşeni - proiectul Moldova lui Ştefan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nativity Church, Causeni
17th-century churches
Religious buildings and structures in Moldova
Churches in Moldova