Focul din 1784 şi reconfigurarea centrului puterii domneşti la Iaşi

Alexandru GOREA

DOI: 10.47743/asui-2025-0010

Abstract: This study examines the consequences of the devastating fire that broke out in December 1784, which completely affected the Princely Court of Iaşi and brought an end to its medieval configuration. The research focuses on how this critical event influenced the physical arrangements used for the exercise of princely authority, analyzing the immediate reactions of the community and the princely administration, the provisional solutions adopted after the crisis, and the establishment of temporary residences for the rulers of Moldavia. Particular attention is given to the period 1795-1804, when the princely administration became the owner of houses purchased from Costache Ghica. The interpretation of historical sources highlights several aspects of this interval: the exact date of the sale of those houses, their use as official residences of the princes until the reconstruction of the new princely palace by Alexandru Moruzi, and the temporary use of the Church of Saint Spiridon as a princely church. By bringing together these documentary data and observations, the study provides a perspective on the impact and consequences of the 1784 fire on the physical presence and functioning of princely authority in Moldavia at the end of the eighteenth century.

Keywords: Iaşi; Moldavia; Princely residence; urban fire; Saint Spiridon Church.