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Romanian 		Archaeological Excavations in Romania, 1983 - 2012.
Preliminary Archaeological Reports
Archaeological Excavation Report

Focşani | County: Vrancea | Site: Biserica Donie (Biserica "Adormirea Maicii Domnului") | Excavation Year: 2004

Excavation Year   2004
Epoch
Early Medieval;
Late Medieval;
Modern
Periods
Middle Medieval Period;
Modern Age
Site Category
Religious, Ritual and Funerary
Site Types
Map it   Find it on the Romanian map
County / District  Vrancea
Locality   Focşani
Commune   mun. Focşani
Site  Biserica Donie (Biserica "Adormirea Maicii Domnului")
Site Sector
Site name   
Persons involved and Institutions
Last nameFirst nameroleInstitution
Apostu Aurora-Emilia Muzeul Vrancei, Focşani
Nicodei Aurel Site director Muzeul Vrancei, Focşani
Puşcaşu Maria Voica Muzeul Vrancei, Focşani
National Arch. Record Site Code 174753.03
Report Documentar se consideră că biserica cu hramul "Adormirea Maicii Domnului" a fost construită din cărămidă între anii 1694-1714 de către "căpitanul de margine" de la Focşani, Donie împreună cu jupâneasa lui Sanda.1
Biserica actuală construită probabil în prima jumătate a sec. al XVIII-lea a suferit de-a lungul timpului mai multe avarii cele mai importante fiind în urma cutremurului din anul 1802. Acum se înlocuieşte turnul clopotniţă de pe pronaos cu unul de lemn.
La sfârşitul sec. al XIX-lea se închide pridvorul. În sec. al XX-lea biserica a suferit mai multe reparaţii cele mai importante fiind efectuate după cutremurul din 1940.
Începând cu anul 1996 biserica se află în restaurare.
Restaurarea bisericii începută în anul 1996, a prilejuit efectuarea unor observaţii arheologice sumare. Acestea relevă faptul că actuala biserică a fost reconstruită peste fundaţia unei biserici anterioare. Cel mai probabil este că prima biserică a fost ridicată la sfârşitul sec. al XVII-lea, după anul 1694.
Fundaţiile acestei biserici anterioare actualei biserici au fost reperate în sondajul arheologic efectuat în anul 1997 pe latura de S a bisericii şi în interiorul bisericii, în anul 2003, când s-a refăcut pardoseala. Cu această ocazie s-au făcut observaţii planimetrice fără a putea realiza secţiuni arheologice pentru a releva caracteristicile pe verticală a acestor fundaţii. Prima biserică, după fundaţiile reperate, era în formă de navă, cu dimensiuni apropiate de cea actuală.
În anul 2004 am efectuat un sondaj arheologic pe latura de N a incintei curţii bisericii.
Datorită fondurilor limitate acesta a constat doar dintr-o secţiune perpendiculară pe centrul absidei nordice a naosului cu lungimea de 15 m şi lăţimea de 1 m. S-au relevat un număr de 22 morminte dintre care 12 morminte cu oseminte reînhumate.
Adâncimea mormintelor este situată între -0,7 şi -1,5 m faţă de nivelul actual de călcare. De remarcat că toate mormintele care au avut inventar sunt din prima jumătate a sec. al XIX-lea.
Presupunem că înmormântările în zona nordică a bisericii s-au efectuat în prima jumătate a sec. al XIX-lea, până la înfiinţarea cimitirului sudic din Focşanii Munteni.
Din inventarul mormintelor este de remarcat o cruce rusească cu două braţe, o cruciuliţă cu inscripţia IC-XC, un inel inscripţionat cu monogramă şi anul 1858.
S-au descoperit şase monede toate de sec. XIX, dintre care un kreutzer de la 1816 şi o monedă otomană neidentificată, dar probabil de la sfârşitul sec. al XVIII-lea sau începutul sec. al XIX-lea.
Fără a avea rezultate spectaculoase, considerăm sondajul arheologic de la biserica "Donie" ca pe un prim pas în realizarea cercetărilor arheologice la bisericile în funcţiune aflate în restaurare pe raza municipiului Focşani.
Abstract other lang. The "Donie" Church "Adormirea Maicii Domnului" from Focsani, Vrancea County, is dated to the end of 17th century.
The archaeological investigation emphasized a lot of graves (22), belonging to the 19th century, on the north side of the church.
Abstract   The site is located to the south limit of Ţiglina plateau on a high terrace, at the confluence of the Danube River with the Siret. The archaeological investigation led to the discovery of the traces of a Roman fortification, probably made of earth, and the remains of Roman cemetery (because of the massive embankments this cemetery was destroyed), not far from the fortification (the south-west limit of the terrace). Preventive archaeological researches started the first time in the eighth decade of the 20th century, and the studies regarding this subject were published in the Archaeological Reports by the author of the findings. He discovered a Roman castellum and three enclosures limited by fosses (the author mentioned that this complex was used as an amphorae deposit, but the recent researches deny this hypothesis), and the Roman cemetery with 81 graves. Unfortunately, the archaeologist mentions only the number and vague information, ignoring the type of the grave or its goods. The area that was not affected by the embankments is the west end of the cemetery. Here we discovered seven graves (five of cremation – ustrina - and two of inhumation). Two of them were affected by mechanical excavations. Most the pottery is fragmentary, the main sherds pertain to the amphorae discovered only in the fosses of the Roman complex. in one of the graves we discovered a ring gem (gemma).
Bibliography
Bibliographic notes
Source   Cronica cercetărilor arheologice din România
Editor   CIMEC
Language   RO
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