History of the construction of the main worship edifices of the town of Orhei in the 17th - 20th centuries in published sources and archival documents

Abstract

After 1812, in Bessarabia annexed by the Russian Empire, the construction of churches and other religious buildings were guided by special rules that were noted in the Construction Regulations of the Russian Empire. For the 30s of the 17th century, the Orthodox church of Saint Dimitrie was erected in the small town of Orhei, built by the ruler of Moldavia, Vasile Lupu. According to church registers, another Orthodox church in Orhei, the church of Saint Nicholas, was built in 1793. Since 1830, the construction of churches of other confessions was carried out according to plans and estimates approved by local Road and Construction Commissions, guided by the general rules of civil architecture. Thus, the Armenian and the Old Believers (Lipovan) churches appeared in Orhei. Since 1835, the authorities had to give permission for the construction of Jewish synagogues and prayer schools. At the same time, in Orhei, the prayer houses: “Râjinski”, “Leib Reznik”, “Bazarny”, “Traders” and others were built according to approved plans far from Christian churches, taking into account the presence of voluntary donations collected by the Jewish community. For persons of the Roman Catholic faith, the construction of the Orhei Catholic Church was completed in 1914. The history of the construction of all these edifices of worship is reflected in numerous archival documents and other published sources.