Recent Researches in Chemistry, Biology, Environment and Culture

The awareness of values through education. „Saint Nicholas” Parish, Câmpina (, ) – crucible of local cultural and spiritual patrimony- Romanian funds (The Administration of National Cultural Fund) for cultural education MĂDĂLINA NICOLETA FRÎNCULEASA Department of Geography Humanities Faculty, Valahia University of Târgovite Bd. Regele Carol I, no. 130024, Târgovite, DâmboviŃa ROMANIA [email protected] ALIN FRÎNCULEASA Department of Archaeology Museum of History and Archaeology Str. Toma. Caragiu, no. 10, Ploieti, Prahova ROMANIA [email protected] PETRU MOGA „Saint Nicholas” Parish Câmpina Slobozia District, str. Nucilor no. 9, 105600, Câmpina, Prahova ROMANIA

Abstract. Apart from the general importance of education, „The awareness of values through education. „Saint Nicholas” Parish, Câmpina (Prahova, Romania) crucible of local cultural and spiritual patrimony” project pursued its transposition into a basic component found in symbiosis with spirituality and science, and together with them to create a necessary and smart tool for the formation of a public cultural consciousness. Addressing this theme is the consequence of finding a large discrepancy in Romanian educational environments, from primary school to university, between theoretical awareness of the importance of local and regional cultural heritage and the difficulties faced in their appropriation and proper use in practice. „The awareness of values through education. „Saint Nicholas” Parish, Câmpina (Prahova, Romania) crucible of local cultural and spiritual patrimony” project was won in a competition by Valahia University of Târgovite in partnership with Prahova County Museum of History and Archaeology and „Saint Nicholas” Parish, Câmpina, in the second funding session, July 2011, initiated by the Administration of National Cultural Fund, at the Cultural Education section. Keywords: education, culture, patrimony, spirituality, Câmpina, Romania

1. Introduction. because this component is the main propelling force Cultural patrimony is an important part of local when we have in mind the characteristic of individual identity, a source of essential values, spiritual and fiber. Only through education we can place ourselves aesthetic experiences that must be constantly in the present time, and the present cannot be really supported through educational approaches. The lack lived if we do not value our past. The simple state of of education and cultural information of the public affairs of present times emphasizes without any doubt often leads to ignoring local cultural values and their the consequences of neglecting cultural education, potential for regional development. In the educational facing us with a society that fails to understand the system the component of cultural consciousness is real value of its patrimony. Humankind has always precarious and this affects the quality of society tended to improve knowledge, has aimed for scientific

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progress and has used as a starting point education, of multiple opportunities for the accomplishment of an which we can never have enough. educational project. The parish ensemble is constituted from: The old church „Saint Nicholas” whose present construction was preceded by a suppositional church made out of wood at the end of the XVIIth century and by a church founded by the abbot Damaschin – Dionisie around 1796; The new church The descent of the Holy Spirit, The Feast House, The kindergarten (Waldorf method) that used to serve as hay storehouse and stable and kept incised the year of its construction (1842) on an oak beam; The parsonage, dating from 1840, that appears on the list of historical monuments from Câmpina as the oldest house in the city, kept in its authentic shape and construction. Fig. 1. Romania map – location of Câmpina city For the remaking of the entire architectural ensemble the architect Livia CâlŃia was awarded in Câmpina city, localized at 45° 7'58.82"N, 2008 the National Award for Arts Architecture. 25°45'5.11"E, about 30 km NorthWest of Ploieti, is Integrated into this space is the archaeological placed in the subCarpathian area, bordered on the complexBronze Age necropolis, where the West side by and on the East side by archaeological researches have begun in 2008, whose river. Found approximately 1km away from exceptional nature is given by the appearance of the confluence of Prahova and Doftana rivers, on the tombs dating from three distinct cultural second terrace of Prahova (Câmpina terrace), „Saint manifestations: Tei, Monteoru and Noua, a unique Nicholas” Parish ensemble allows a profound study of situation in the Subcarpathian area. The funeral rites natural and cultural (including archaeological) present are both inhumation and cremation. perspectives on the social evolution of this region. Inhumation graves have rectangular pits with rounded corners, for cremation tombs the bones were placed in small pits lined with stones. Above the interred individual a mound of stone and/or land was arranged, exceeding in size the dimensions of the pits. The grave inventory consisted of vessels, but also pieces of jewelry made of bone, bronze, amber, glassy paste, clay. Based on the rite, ritual, archaeological inventory, but also on absolute dating, the cemetery seems to have functioned in the Late Bronze Age, between 16th and 13th century B.C. Its proximity to a medieval and two other modern cemeteries indicates the fact that the collective memory has kept in its subconscious the sacredness of the place. The formative valences of the cultural and Fig.2. Map of „Saint Nicholas” Parish Câmpina. natural landscape represented by „Saint Nicholas” 1. gravles; 2. redish silt; 3. natural slope of erosion; 4. Parish Câmpina allow the approach, in a highly artificial slope; 5. parish court; accesible maner, of the understanding both of the a. medieval cemetery; b. Bronz Age cemetery; c. new significance and importance of patrimony, but also church; ancient church underline its cultural and material frailty. The cultural dimension of this space is doubled by the educational potential it brings, by „Saint Nicholas” Parish Câmpina represents a joining spiritual elements, much more present in the complex of architectural and historical elements that life of a comunity, with cultural and material elements create, through the cultural context they offer, (architectural and archaeological patrimony). This is

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one of the reasons why the educational units proposed cultural perimeter that deserves to go beyond its local by the project are headed especially towards cultural borders. material elements, which, although present, raise only tangentially the interest of the comunity. 2.1. Objectives The purpose of this cultural project was to increase the posibilities of access to culture – the awareness of the value of patrimony by creating instructive and cultural products accesible to a wide range of public. In order to achieve the main goal to create specific educational, cultural and scientific products in order to assure the visibility and protection of local patrimony and to invigorate local cultural life, a set of specific objectives were settled, so as to cover all necessary sections for the logical progression of the pursued approach. These aimed for:  bringing the public closer to understanding the archaeological patrimony by accustoming them to the entire methodologycal process of interdisciplinary research;  transposition of cultural and spiritual influences assimilated in a social model that

Fig.3. Image during archaeological research recognizes cultural value;  increasing the educational value of this It is also the case that the parish has a lifestyle area; that gathers recurrently, through multiple activities –  presentation and organization of scientific meetings, feasts a very large public with different information in an accessible manner, levels of culture and provides access to a target group complemented by an explicit graphic material accustomed with „schoolwalks”. (drawings, graphic reconstructions, photos, etc.);  establishing relationships between research 2. The description of the project and education institutions involved in the Structurally conceived on two axis, the project and similar institutions, in order to project „The awareness of values through education. facilitate the impact of the research on the „Saint Nicholas” Parish, Câmpina (Prahova, scientific community; Romania) crucible of local cultural and spiritual  proposals for capitalization and promotion of patrimony” pursued, on the one hand, a series of the archaeological site and the entire worship educational activities addressed to a young public complex as environmental reservation in the (children, students) focused on the practical and local cultural frame, according to town applicative aspect, and on the other hand aimed at planning development. drawing attention, to the scientific and local public comunity, to efforts made for the research of the 2.2. Relevance archaeological site from the parish precint. The project proved viable, necessary and relevant to The interregional partnership created is a solid the specific needs of target groups (pupils, students, one, based on numeorus previous connections and it local public opinion, specialists in archaeology and covers, through the specific of the institutions related interdisciplinary fields), because:  involved, not only the educational aspect ( only a well prepared public can have a University of Târgovite, „Saint Nicholas” Parish positive response concerning the preservation Câmpina), but also the scientific one (County and capitalization of patrimony and early Museum of History and Archaeology Prahova). At the education can lead to such a public, be it same time the partners are the messengers of a cultural tourist or member of a community

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with a rich spiritual, architectural, historical or conducted between 20082011, with sketches, natural patrimony; reconstructions and photographs.  education is never enough;  „A 3500yearold puzzle” practical  currently, cultural education is done mainly application opened to public. This activity involved theoretically and in a general way, and the accomplishment of a series of interactive ignores the cultural peculiarities of a complex experimental workshops held either on the and the power of practice in the educational archaeological site or in laboratories of Wallachia process; University and Prahova County Museum of History and Archaeology. The main goals were: for  „Saint Nicholas” Parish Câmpina has all the archaeology archaeological excavation technique necessary human and material elements for and methodology, for restoration completion of the approaches undertaken by the project. archaeological material, for geology mineralogical and petrographic determinations, classification, 2.3. Activities determination of possible source areas, anthropology The activities that defined the project had a consistent primary observations on human bone remains. The course of conduct, involving the elaboration of a work activity included a series of educational materials strategy whose scaffolding was the symbiosis between (games, cards, drawings) specially designed for this the cultural (religious architectural complex „Saint project in order to facilitate practical approach to Nicholas” Câmpina, Bronze Age archaeological site, research. After taking part in these workshops archaeological exhibition), natural (geological and participants were able to establish direct contacts morphological features of Prahova’s Subcarpathians beyond the scientific dimension. The conduct of the at the confluence of Doftana and Prahova rivers) and event was attended by Valahia University of social component (local community strongly attached Târgovite, Faculty of Humanities, Department of to spiritual values promoted by the parish). The History and Philology, Department of Geography, working methods corresponding each phase outlined a Prahova County Museum of History and set of defining cultural landmarks for the parish Archaeology, „Saint Nicholas” Parish Câmpina, perimeter and for the interdependence between Institute of Anthropology „Francisc Rainer” components of the system represented by the area Bucharest, The association for promoting Waldorf subjected to the proposed approach. pedagogy, Câmpina, Paul Bănică School from Besides preparation, monitoring and Târgovite, Interdisciplinary research center evaluation activities, the main events that gave shape „Prehistory, Interdisciplinary Archaeology and to this project were: Cultural movable and immovable heritage  The workshop named „Cultural conservation techniques”. interferencse in the Bronze Age in Wallachia’s sub  „Journey to the spirituality of the Carpathians” held at „Saint Nicholas” Parish place”, presentation of the architectural and worship Câmpina, which was attended by researchers from the complex represented by „Saint Nicholas” Parish archaeological domaine and other inter and Câmpina. transdisciplinary sciences representing partner  The seminar „The awareness of institutions (Wallachia University of Târgovite, values through education. „Saint Nicholas” Parish, County Museum of History and Archaeology Câmpina (Prahova, Romania) crucible of local Prahova) and other research and culture institutions cultural and spiritual patrimony” held in Valahia (Buzău Museum, National Museum of Bucharest, University of Târgovite, during which was made a Bucharest Institute of Archaeology, Institute of final evaluation of the project and were set up future Anthropology „Francisc Rainer” Bucharest, Faculty of directions for institutional collaboration. Geology and Geophysics Bucharest). At the event were presented and discussed results of archaeological 2.4. Methods of implementing the cultural project and interdisciplinary research from the Bronze Age site involved in this project, along with other Achieving the pursued goal by this project involved information on the topic. The second part of this work several processes proposed by an effective was an exhibition of the most significant and management that is the result of planning, organizing impressive archaeological items offered by excavation and coordinating human and material resources of the

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project. Thus, each activity took place in several stages, each of them with strong financial support and The impact of this cultural project was felt in: assigned for implementation to members with the primary cultural education of the public, appropriate skills. Experience gained by the project especially the parishioners (in large numbers) who team management while attending courses or other attend church, of the children from the parish projects undertaken is the argument for the effective kindergarten, from city schools and the neighboring implementation of this project. county DâmboviŃa, concerning the cultural value of the historical and architectural ensemble of which The specific methods chosen for this cultural project they are part and of the archaeological site integrated were those commonly used in education and to this space; awareness actions (demonstration, problemsolving, a wider scientific visibility of archaeological and graphic modelling, heuristic conversation, discussion). interdisciplinary scientific research conducted They are effective tools for transmitting information, throughout the archaeological complex. and for conducting exchanges of ideas and experiences that help information to be assimilated and assumed, not just perceived. The instruments 4. Conclusion were adapted to the knowledge level of the target „The awareness of values through education. „Saint audience in order to maximize their effect. Nicholas” Parish, Câmpina (Prahova, Romania) crucible of local cultural and spiritual patrimony” aimed essentially at defining educational methods in 3. Results and cultural impact of the light of access to culture through awareness of value project and its role in social development. The innovations, unforeseen by the initiators, occurring during the The achieved results emphasize the relevance of the course of events called for the refinement of the project and justify the approach chosen. original objectives, for changing ways of a) Quantitative results: conceptualizing the practical applications in cultural realization of a workshop and an exhibition; education. making a final seminar; This highlights the limits of methodological unilateral publication of scientific articles and a brochure to schemes applied both in education and in the research disseminate the cultural heritage. environments. A new horizon of knowledge achieved Qualitative results: in the project encourages us to a radical critique of informing and raising awareness of the public on the these educational level methodological approaches, value of cultural patrimony from their housing area; preceded or followed by social changes that reflect involvement in the project of the scientific themselves, in subtle ways, in the cultural education community and the local and central administrative of communities. The outline of these methodes gives community; us the means to initiate other interinstitutional, active and effective communication between project cultural projects, and a critical appraisal from the partners during its progress. perspective of social evolution, of the awareness of b) Cultural products of the project: local heritage’s value and the power of the community a website both in Romanian and English language, in terms of its capitalization. with an interactive format and multiple search The project also brought forward the common capabilities; message that can be transmited by educational the publication of leaflets and posters for institutions that act in different paradigms, with popularization; specific tools the church and education and research opening of an exhibition according to the subject. institutions (University, Museum, Research Institute) The results and experience gained in this project concerning the assumption of specific local cultural can be exploited to ground other similar projects for context. other areas with potential for high recovery of cultural heritage.

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References: [4] Ghenciulescu, t., Ansamblul parohial Sf. [1] Arma, Iuliana, Damian, R., andric, I., Osaci Nicolae, Câmpina, Arhitectura, nr. 68, 2008, p.112 Costache, Gabriela, Vulnerabilitatea versanŃilor la 119. alunecări de teren în sectorul subcarpatic al văii [5] Ielenicz, M., Pătru, IleanaGeorgeta, Ghincea, Prahova, Editura FundaŃiei România de Mâine, Mioara, SubcarpaŃii României, Editura Universitară, Bucureti, 2003, 207p. Bucureti, 2003, 263p. [2] Frînculeasa, A., Soficaru, A.D., Negrea, O., [6] Măgureanu Ierom Nectarie, Mănăstirea , Frînculeasa, Mădălina, Cultural memory of a sacred Ed. Athena, Bucureti, 2000. place – from the Bronze Age to present: Câmpina (Prahova County, Romania), European Association http://www.afcn.ro of Archaeologist, 17 th Anual Meeting 14th – 18th http://www.geoarheologie.ro September 2011 Oslo – Norway, Abstracts, 2011, p. http://www.histmuseumph.ro 239. http://www.valahia.ro [3] Frînculeasa, A., Soficaru, A.D., Negrea, O., http://www.parohiasfnicolae.ro Mărgărit, Monica, Frînculeasa, Mădălina, Preda, Bianca, David, C., Cimitirul din epoca bronzului de la Câmpina (jud. Prahova), Studii de Preistorie, 8, Ed. Renaiscenses, 2011 (in press).

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