The patriotic activities dedicated to Ruler Stephan the Great and Holy initiated in 2018, which was declared the Year of Stephan the Great by presidential decree, will continue in 2019. New measures and actions will be identified in this regard so as to affirm the Moldovan statehood and identity in the Republic of Moldova, President Igor Dodon said in a festivity held to assess the results of the Year of Stephan the Great on December 2, when it was 101 years of the foundation of the Moldovan Democratic Republic, IPN reports.
In his speech before those attending, Igor Dodon said the activities staged in 2018 underlined that Stephan the Great is really the most important historical personality of our people. The ruler is praised and loved and is considered a hero and a symbol of the nation, an ardent defender of the integrity of the state, a faithful man who shaped a glorious epoch in the history of Moldova.
Igor Dodon enumerated the actions taken in the country this year, including the building of a monument in Căpriana village, near the monastery, the reconstruction of other monuments to the ruler in a number of localities, the exhibition of heraldic symbols of Moldavia, the national festival-competition of patriotic songs “Ștefan, Ștefan, the Great Ruler”. A documentary about the biography of Stephan the Great will be soon launched.
Metropolitan Bioship of Chisinau and all Moldova Vladimir said Stephan the Great and Holy can be compared only with Emperor Constantine the Great and Holy, who defended Orthodoxy. The churches and monasteries of Moldova in 2018 held events dedicated to the Year of Stephan the Great and Holy. “The Orthodox Church has always honored Stephan the Great in its prayers as he defended our country and our Orthodox religion,” stated the Metropolitan Bioship.
Presidential adviser for special missions Pavel Voicu said the monument to Stephan the Great that was erected in Căprianan village is a lesson of patriotism that urges us to struggle for Orthodoxy, for the future of our nation. This monument will leave an imprint in Moldova’s history. Stephan the Great and Holy is a symbol of our nation.
University professor Alexandru Roman presented the book “Stephan the Great – Creator of Moldova’s Glory” that was specially launched on the occasion of the Year of Stephan the Great. The volume represents homage rendered to the ruler. “We hope this volume will represent good support for the young generation to study Moldova’s history. We expect Moldovan society will appreciate this book,” he noted.
In appreciation for the contribution to cultivating the patriotic spirit, to keeping the historical-cultural heritage and national traditions, a series of diplomas of the President of the Republic of Moldova were handed over to a number of personalities from different fields. On the initiative of President Igor Dodon, the replicas of the war flag of Stephan the Great and of the icon of Saint George were brought from the Sogori Monastery of Greece to Moldova. These were exhibited in a festivity that was held to mark the end of the Year of Stephan the Great.
