The Battle of Lipnic was commemorated on Thursday in northern Republic of Moldova. Metropolitan Antonie of Bessarabia celebrated the Divine Liturgy and a memorial service for the soldiers of Saint Stephen the Great who fell in the battle against the Tatars.
The commemorations started at the church in Lipnic village, with attendance including local community members, local authorities, and Romanians residing in France.
After the Divine Liturgy, clergy and faithful gathered in the village centre for a memorial service. This event commemorated the 556th anniversary of the battle.
His Eminence Metropolitan Antonie highlighted the role of faith in the Moldavian ruler’s victories, saying that they were linked to the courage of his soldiers, prudent leadership, the guidance of his spiritual father, much prayer and steadfast trust in God’s help.
His Eminence also urged those present to keep alive the memory of those who sacrificed themselves for their country and to pass on to younger generations a knowledge of history and respect for their forebears.
Support for pupils in Lipnic
The day’s programme continued at the “Stephen the Great” Gymnasium in Lipnic. On this occasion, Father Lilian Măntăluță, parish priest of the Romanian community in Auvers-sur-Oise, France, donated 25 school backpacks to pupils.
The initiative forms part of the cooperation between Romanian diaspora communities and those in Bessarabia, providing tangible support for children in Lipnic.
The school’s administration expressed its gratitude for the donation and recalled other forms of assistance the institution had received in previous years. The event also featured artistic performances by young people from Lipnic.
The Battle of Lipnic
On 20 August 1470, according to one of the dates recorded in historical sources, the Moldavian army led by Saint Stephen the Great won an important victory over the Tatars of the Golden Horde at the Battle of Lipnic, a locality now in Ocnița District in the Republic of Moldova. Other sources date the confrontation to 1469.
During their incursion into Moldavia, the Tatar army, led by Khan Mamac, entered the territories east of the Carpathians, causing destruction and taking many people into captivity. As the Tatars withdrew towards the Dniester, the Moldavian army, led by Prince Stephen the Great, pursued them.
The decisive confrontation took place near the village of Lipnic, in a wooded area close to the Dniester. Moldavian cavalry attacked the Tatar army, preventing it from retreating across the river. The Tatars suffered significant losses, while Khan Mamac’s son and brother were captured.
The victory also took on strong religious significance in the period’s consciousness. Chronicler Grigore Ureche records that, following the victory, Stephen the Great “understood that his help had come from nowhere else but from God and His Most Pure Mother”, thus expressing the ruler’s belief in the divine assistance he had received in battle.
Local tradition has preserved the memory of the confrontation over the centuries. During the interwar period, a wayside cross was erected in Lipnic cemetery in memory of those who fell in battle. Near the village, there is also the Fântâna Cadânei — the “Cadâna’s Well” — which local tradition associates with the beginning of the confrontation.
Photo: Metropolis of Bessarabia
