XXth National Congress of Genealogy and Heraldry of Iaşi, Romania (28-30 May 2026)

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Organised by the Mihai-Bogdan ATANASIU, aig, Drăgan-George BASARABĂ, aih, and Tudor-Radu TIRON, AIH, all members of “Sever Zotta” Romanian Institute of Genealogy and Heraldry (established in 1998), with the support of other academic and cultural institutions, the XXth Congress of Genealogy and Heraldry of Iaşi (28–30 May 2026) brought together a significant number of researchers from across the region.

As in the previous year, when the XXIIIrd International Colloquium of Heraldry (27–30 August 2025) was held, participants enjoyed the outstanding hospitality of the city of Iaşi, the former capital of the historic Principality of Moldavia.

A total of 62 papers were presented, including 13 devoted to heraldry, vexillology, and sigillography:

  • Ileana CĂZAN (Bucharest) – “Încercări de modificare a stemei de stat a României şi ideea suveranistă” (Attempts to Modify the State Coat of Arms of Romania and the ‘Sovereignist’ Idea);
  • Anton COŞA (Bacău) – “Stema familiei Ghica în heraldica teritorială din Moldova” (The Coat of Arms of the Ghica Family in the Territorial Heraldry of Moldavia);
  • Alexandru DANEŞ (Braşov), Din activitatea mai puţin cunoscută a Comisiei Consultative Heraldice” (From the Lesser-Known Activity of the Heraldic Advisory Commission);
  • Gabriel-Lucian DIAC (Iaşi) – “Sub pecetea obsesiei: genealogia şi heraldica în cazul lui Mateiu Caragiale” (Under the Seal of Obsession: Genealogy and Heraldry in the Case of Mateiu Caragiale);
  • Cătălin-Iulian HRIBAN (Iaşi) – “Leul şi Arborele Vieţii. O problemă de iconografie medievală şi câteva interpretări heraldice” (The Lion and the Tree of Life. A Problem of Medieval Iconography and Several Heraldic Interpretations);
  • Constantin ITTU (Sibiu) – “The Book of St. Albans: un tratat de heraldică (incunabul editio princeps) tipărit la abaţia engleză St. Albans în 1486” (The Book of St. Albans: A Heraldry Treatise (Incunabulum Editio Princeps) Printed at the English Abbey of St. Albans in 1486);
  • Rostyslav KASYANENKO (München) – “Aurochs’ Heads Across Medieval Europe: Reframing Moldavian Heraldry”;
  • Silvian Emanuel MAN, Andrei PÂSLARU (Iaşi) – “Sigiliile aşezămintelor româneşti de la Sfântul Munte Athos (secolele al XIX-lea – al XX-lea)” (The Seals of the Romanian Establishments on Mount Athos (19th–20th Centuries));
  • Patricia MANEA (GHEMEŞ) (Singapore) – “Prezenţe heraldice britanice în Orientul Îndepărtat: guvernare, memorie civică şi reprezentare simbolică în Singapore” (British Heraldic Presences in the Far East: Governance, Civic Memory and Symbolic Representation in Singapore);
  • Alexandru-Daniel PITICARI (Cluj-Napoca) – “Consideraţii bibliologice şi istorico-heraldice cu privire la stema şi stihurile la stemă regăsite în Pravoslavnica mărturisire (Mărturisirea de credinţă) de Petru Movilă (1691)” (Bibliological and Historical-Heraldic Considerations Regarding the Coat of Arms and Heraldic Verses Found in Pravoslavnica mărturisire (The Orthodox Confession of Faith) by Petru Movilă (1691));
  • Attila István SZEKERES (Sfântu Gheorghe) – “Steaguri în stemele nobiliare acordate de principii Transilvaniei” (Flags in Noble Coats of Arms Granted by the Princes of Transylvania);
  • Toma TĂTARU (Iaşi) – “Drapelele voluntarilor români şi cehoslovaci în timpul Războiului Civil Rus (1917–1923)” (The Flags of Romanian and Czechoslovak Volunteers During the Russian Civil War (1917–1923));
  • Eugen-Florin VASILIU (Galaţi) – “Note despre însemnele teritoriale din judeţele Harghita şi Hunedoara” (Notes on the Territorial Insignia of Harghita and Hunedoara Counties).

For the first time in the history of the national congresses and colloquia, a session dedicated to phaleristics was organised, comprising the following six presentations:

  • Silviu ANDRIEŞ-TABAC (Chişinău) – “Modificarea sistemului distincţiilor de stat ale Republicii Moldova în anul 2025” (The Modification of the State Decorations System of the Republic of Moldova in 2025);
  • Drăgan-George BASARABĂ (Timişoara) – “Sub semnul serafimului. Şefi de stat români în cel mai înalt ordin cavaleresc suedez” (Under the Sign of the Seraphim. Romanian Heads of State in the Highest Swedish Order of Chivalry);
  • Emil BOBOESCU (Bucharest) – “Cifre onorifice în uniforma militară românească” (Honorary Cyphers in the Romanian Military Uniform);
  • Sever BOŢAN (Iaşi) – “Destine gravate în memoria metalului. Decoraţii româneşti şi străine din Primul Război Mondial” (Destinies Engraved in the Memory of Metal. Romanian and Foreign Decorations from the First World War);
  • Simion CÂLŢIA (Bucharest) – “Ordinul Carol I în sistemul românesc de decoraţii. O analiză comparată” (The Order of Carol I in the Romanian Decorations System. A Comparative Analysis);
  • Tudor-Radu TIRON (Bucharest) – “Din faleristica Regatului României: decorarea unor cetăţeni români cu Ordinul Suveran de Malta” (From the Phaleristics of the Kingdom of Romania: Awarding of Romanian Citizens with the Sovereign Order of Malta). 

Participants attended a reception held at the City Hall Palace of Iaşi Municipality, while the gala dinner took place at the historic “Grand Hotel Traian” in the same city.

During the Congress, the following exhibitions were presented:

  • “The Coats of Arms of the Heraldic Artist József Keöpeczi Sebestyén (József Sebestyén de Keöpecz)” (organized by the Transylvanian Association for Heraldry and Vexillology with the support of the Liszt Institute in Bucharest; curator: Dr. Szekeres Attila István, AIH);
  • “A Life Dedicated to Genealogy: Manuscripts and Documents from the Archive of George D. Florescu (1893–1976)” (organized by the Ana and Filip Iorga Foundation, in collaboration with the Sever Zotta Romanian Institute of Genealogy and Heraldry; curator: Lecturer Dr. Filip-Lucian Iorga, University of Bucharest);
  • “Coelestini Coloris – Heraldic Art in Contemporary Romania” (organized by Coelestini Coloris; curator: Architect Bettina-Evelin Basarabă-Varga).