Poalele de icoană inscripţionate ale hatmanului moldovean Necula Racoviţă aflate la Mănăstirea atonită Zografu
Inscriptions on Orthodox Handmade Cloth Belonging to Moldavian Hetman Necula Racoviţă, Hosted at the Athonite Monastery Zografu

Summary/Abstract: During Ottoman occupation, the Orthodox rulers in the Romanian Principalities became donors to the Athonite monasteries. Orthodoxy, lacking its official protector, was especially defended by the rulers of the Romanian Principalities. Voivodes became the new benefactors (founders) of the monasteries, as they oversaw the repairs and adorning of the buildings, offered precious objects and, especially, assigned profitable metochions. At the same time, with the consent of the rulers, the most important Athonite monarchs on The Holy Mount became part of zēteia. In their peripluses in Moldavia and Wallachia, they brought along holy relics and other holy things from Mount Athos and returned to their monasteries with large amounts of money and expensive gifts. This study refers to a couple of such expensive gifts: two embroidered cloths intended to adorn the icons, belonging to the Athonite monastery Zografu, that, according to the inscriptions / dedications are offerings for the monastery from Moldavian dignitary Necula Racoviţă. These Cyrillic inscriptions, with elements of Old Slavonic, are a source of important information. Moldavian rulers and dignitaries became the true founders and benefactors of the monastery Zografu, as they were for more than four centuries the main donors to the monastery. It is no accidental fact that they referred to the monastery Zografu as “The Lavra of Moldavia”.

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