Moldovan speaker conveys message on commemorating ruler Stefan cel Mare

Chisinau, 2 July /MOLDPRES/- Parliament Speaker Zinaida Greceanii conveyed a message today on commemoration of ruler Stefan cel Mare, the parliament's communication and public relations department has reported.

The message reads:

"Today we commemorate Stefan cel Mare, former ruler of Moldova and one of the most remarkable personalities in the history of the Moldovan state.

Stephen III, named Stephen the Great was ruler of Moldavia for 47 years, from 1457 to 1504. He fought 36 wars, of which only two were lost and he built 44 monasteries and churches both in Moldova, as well as in Wallachia, Transylvania or Mount Athos. For these merits he was canonized by the Romanian Orthodox Church, with the name of Stephen the Great and Saint, in June 1992. He died on 2 July 1504, buried at the Putna Monastery.

It is our duty to preserve this valuable heritage, left to us, to our descendants by the great ruler. Only by studying and knowing history, by preserving the memory and the glorious past, will we be able to keep alive the memory of the greatest defender of our nation.

I urge the young generations to study the life of the great ruler, to know his deeds.

Let's not forget his great deeds and his boundless love for the country. Let's keep the respect and independence that Moldova had since then, when no one dared to dictate to him what to do ".

photo: Parliament