Mănăstirea Secu. Buletin istoric şi cultural, I, Galaţi, 2025, pp. 447-467
DOUĂ DOCUMENTE NECUNOSCUTE REFERITOARE LA LUCRĂRILE DE RESTAURARE A MĂNĂSTIRII NEAMŢ DUPĂ INCENDIUL DIN 25 NOIEMBRIE 1862
AUTOR: Arcadie M. BODALE
Cuvinte Cheie: Mănăstirea Neamţ, restaurare, parităţi monetare, monede europene, leu românesc, preţuri, materiale de construcţie, salarii
Keywords: Neamţ Monastery, restoration, currency exchange rates, European currencies, Romanian leu, prices, construction materials, wages
TWO UNKNOWN DOCUMENTS REGARDING THE RESTORATION WORKS OF NEAMŢ MONASTERY AFTER THE FIRE OF NOVEMBER 25, 1862
(Abstract)
On November 25, 1862, a devastating fire destroyed most of the buildings of Neamţ Monastery and damaged the painting of the "Ascension of the Lord" church. The reconstruction of this monastic complex spanned several years; however, researchers have not focused on the progress of these restoration works due to the lack of documentary information. Fortunately, within a file from the archives of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Public Instruction – Moldova, there are two documents written in transitional Cyrillic script, dated December 30, 1870, and January 10, 1871, concerning the expenses of the restoration works carried out at this monastic site between 1869 and 1870.
These documents record that in 1869, following a vote in the Chamber of Deputies, Archimandrite Timothei was granted 25,000 new lei for the continuation of the reconstruction of the churches and monastic cells destroyed at Neamţ Monastery. At the same time, the documents provide unique information about the currency exchange rates of the era, listing the prices and quantities of construction materials, food purchased for the workers, and the wages paid to craftsmen. Additionally, they note the exchange rates of major European currencies circulating in Romania at that time in relation to the old fiduciary currency (“old leu”) of Moldova, which was still in use in 1871, despite the full unification of the Principalities on January 24, 1862. They also show the relationship between these currencies and the new national currency (“new leu”), which had been introduced through the monetary reform of April 22, 1867.
Furthermore, these documents mention the names of the craftsmen involved in the restoration of Neamţ Monastery, as well as those of the Jewish merchants who supplied the construction materials. Lastly, the documents state that the restoration works of Neamţ Monastery were carried out under the supervision of architect Iulian Brandel.