Abstract
Writing up a testament, one of the most important stages in preparing oneself for "the great passing over”, has been, over the centuries, the foremost preoccupation of those who felt their end drew near, a duty to one’s conscience and, at the same time, a reflection upon death. Written up, in most cases, with simple and penetrating words, expressing desires and nostalgias, regrets and hopes, these documents represent precious sources for the researches in social history and the history of mentalities. The present text makes a brief analysis of three such documents from the archive of the Putna Monastery. They were written in the second half of the 18th century by three monks (hieromonk Theoctist Gheorghiescu, archimandrite Vartolomei Mazereanu and hieroschemamonk Nathan Dreteanovschi). The Appendix contains the transliterations of the three testaments, following the current standards for editing old documents.
Keywords
18th century, Nathan Dreteanovschi, Putna Monastery, testament, Theoctist Gheorghiescu, Vartolomei Mazereanu
