Ctitori și ctitorii din comuna Văleni, ținutul Romanului, secolele XVIII-XIX

Abstract

The origins of the Stârcea family, old boyars from Bukovina, go back to the Middle Ages in Moldavia. The Stârcea boyars would become owners of the Văleni domain, in the old county of Roman, through the marriage of Ecaterina Eni Văleanca, daughter of the grand landowners Gavril and Soltana Eni, to Iancu Stârcea, son of Gheorghe and Safta Stârcea, born Ilski, from Bukovina. Descending from a family whose several members took the path of monasticism, Ecaterina Stârcea Văleanca directed many of her philanthropic gestures towards the restoration or construction of places of worship: the Church of Văleni, dedicated to the “St. Forty Martyrs of Sevastia” (a Cozma Șarpeʼs foundation, which he strengthened and for which he built an enclosure wall with a massive bell tower), or the wooden Church of Moreni, dedicated to “St. Paraskeva”, unfortunately no longer existing today. Although it was not the exclusive property of the Stârcea family, the mansion of Văleni, now completely restored, has always had a special significance for the local community, which remembers the Stârcea boyars as great philanthropists.