His Eminence Metropolitan Petru of Bessarabia delivered a message on Thursday marking 589 years since the first documented mention of Chișinău. His Eminence underscored that “on this day of deep historical and spiritual resonance, we look with gratitude to the past and with responsibility toward the future.”
“Chișinău is not merely a point on the map, but an identity matrix, a harbour of memory, and an intersection between heaven and earth. Empires, ideologies, temporality, and eternity have clashed here. Yet above all, the living Church, born of the Gospel and strengthened by suffering, has remained unshaken,” he said.
Metropolitan Petru, who also serves as Archbishop of Chișinău, highlighted the fundamental role of the Church in the development of the city, the capital of the Republic of Moldova.
“With humility, we recall the work of great pastors and enlighteners who built in Chișinău not just places of worship but also free consciences. Metropolitan Gurie Grosu, a worthy servant and fearless shepherd, rebuilt, in the spirit of the Mother Church, a city wounded by wanderings. Together with countless sacrificial priests and believers, he laid the foundation for a spiritual revival that we are called to carry forward.”
A Heritage Beyond Buildings
Metropolitan Petru added that the historical heritage of the Metropolis of Bessarabia in Chișinău means more than buildings or street names.
“It is woven from the tears of martyrs, the prayers of the elderly, and the zeal of young people who today dare to return to the sources of true faith and the bosom of the canonical Church. Despite decades of persecution, marginalisation, and exclusion, we have remained unshaken, supported by the arm of the Lord and the prayer of the righteous.”
A Call for Peace
In the final part of his message, Metropolitan Petru urged the city’s inhabitants to be guardians of the city, workers of peace, and witnesses to the Truth.
“Chișinău will remain alive as long as a pure prayer rises from within it, as long as a Liturgy is served, and as long as a Romanian folk song is sung with dignity in the ancestral tongue.”
“With unwavering hope, we embrace you in prayer and blessing, calling upon you the grace of the Heavenly Father and the protection of the Mother of God, who gently watches over the city of our hearts,” Metropolitan Petru concluded.
Photo: Metropolis of Bessarabia
