How to reach us?
The Metropolitan Museum of Iași is located in the city center, on one of the most important avenue – Ștefan cel Mare Boulevard, within the Metropolitan Ensemble of Iași, near iconic buildings of Moldova, such as the Saint George Church – the old Metropolitan Cathedral, the Metropolitan Cathedral, the "Dumitru Stăniloae" Library, the Metropolitan Residence, and the administrative buildings.
Access to the courtyard of the Metropolitan Ensemble is available from both Ștefan cel Mare Boulevard and G.M. Cantacuzino Street.
The museum entrance is situated across the "Dumitru Stăniloae" Library.
Mission of the Museum
The Metropolitan Museum of Iași is a public cultural institution under the administration of the Metropolitanate of Moldavia and Bucovina – the Archdiocese of Iași.
The primary mission of the Metropolitan Museum of Iași is to help people discover the Romanian Orthodox Church through the diversity of religious objects, as one of the greatest achievements of both national and world art, and to "root" them into their own cultural tradition.
The preservation, collection, study, presentation, and popularization of the ecclesiastical art heritage of Moldova are the museum’s main objectives.
The Metropolitan Museum of Iași is recognized as a museum of regional importance, contributing to the development and strengthening of local and regional identity in a national and international context, establishing, through its comprehensive museum activity, a cultural landmark in the eastern side of Romania.
The History of the Museum
The protection and display of objects with artistic value in a museum system is not a new idea. In 1930, during the time of Metropolitan Pimen Georgescu, the first event related to the establishment and presentation of the religious art collection within the administrative offices of the Metropolitan of Moldova is mentioned, although the inventorying of the heritage began during the tenure of Metropolitan Partenie Clinceni.
The event took place at the Metropolitan Palace in the presence of the Romanian Royal Family, to whom a monumental painting by the artist Gh. Popovici was presented. The painting depicted the Holy Synod meeting of 1925, held in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Iași, commemorating the First Ecumenical Council of 325. After the Royal Family attended the mentioned exhibition, other works of ancient religious art in the Metropolitan Residence were also viewed and studied.
This episode, recorded in the absence of other documents, marks the Metropolitan Palace in Iași as one of the first ecclesiastical museum collections.
The encouragement of the promotion of fine arts and the protection of heritage goods gained momentum in 1952 with the acquisition of artworks for the Metropolitan Gallery by the Permanent Council of the Eparchial Council, presided over by Metropolitan Sebastian Rusan.
During the tenure of Metropolitan Iustin Moisescu, inaugurated in 1957, a major campaign was carried out to enroll monasteries and churches on the list of historical monuments, primarily to obtain a legal status to receive support from the Department of Religious Affairs. This led to the creation of several ecclesiastical museums and collections with religious objects, including those from Neamț Monastery, the Three Hierarchs Monastery, Cetățuia Monastery, Galata Monastery, and others, as well as from the Metropolitan Residence in the old Metropolitan Cathedral.
In 1999, with the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan Daniel, the "Resurrectio" Sacred Art Conservation and Restoration Center was established, and in 2000, the first exhibition of objects from the Metropolitan Residence Chapel was organized.
With the blessing and support of His Eminence Metropolitan Daniel and the direct involvement of the Reverend Father Clement Haralamb, abbot of the Three Hierarchs Monastery in Iași, and in collaboration with the "Resurrectio" Center, the museum's exhibition space at the Three Hierarchs Monastery was reorganized in the Gothic Hall of the monastic ensemble in 2001.
In 2008, under the initiative, blessing, and direct support of His Eminence Metropolitan Teofan, the first cultural and artistic event showcasing the heritage of monasteries in the Archdiocese of Iași took place. The exhibition "Art and Culture Testimonies from the Representative Monuments of the Archdiocese of Iași" was held at the National Village Museum "Dimitrie Gusti" in Bucharest and later in Iași.
For 40 years, heritage protection activities were carried out through the monasteries' museums and collections, but the need for a central, representative museum became increasingly evident.
In 2015, the European project "Touristic Valorization of the Metropolitan Ensemble of Iași" was implemented under the coordination of His Eminence Metropolitan Teofan, laying the foundation for the creation of a new cultural institution: the Metropolitan Museum of Iași.
