Today is celebrated the anniversary of 512 years form the death of Stephen the Great. The ruler of Moldova is commemorated through the flower procession to the statue situated in the center of Chisinau.

Stephen the Great was a part of House of Musat, and throughout his ruling, he fought many times against the Ottoman Empire, reason for which he received the title of Athleta Christi from Pope Sixtus IV.

Stephen the Great had 36 battles in 47 years of reign. He won 34 of them, even when his enemies had greater number of soldiers than him.

One of the biggest battles he had was the one at Podul Inalt, where an army of 120,000 Turkish soldiers and 17,000 Wallachian soldiers entered the country. The ruler had only 40,000 soldiers. Still, on 10 January 1475 Stephen the great managed to win against his enemies.

Grigore Ureche was describing Stephen the Great in his chronicle: “Stephen was a short man, wrathful, and quick to shed innocent blood: many times, at feasts he could kill without judgment. Even though, he was a smart, diligent man, he knew his duties, and you could find him anywhere. Expert in wars, when his people couldn’t manage to overpower their enemies, he helped them, and when he was losing, he tried to regain everything he lost. After his death, his son Bogdan-Voda has inherited his bravery and courage, as it is said an apple does not fall far from the tree.”