Stephen the Great's replica sword to be kept at Soroca Fortress

Prime Minister Vlad Filat has transmitted the replica of Stephan the Great's sword that he received as a gift in Turkey to the director of the Soroca Fortress, where it will be displayed for public viewing. Today the sword is at the National History Museum, where it will be kept until the reconstruction at the Fortress is finished. “Following consultations with President Nicolae Timofti and Metropolitan Bishop of Moldova, His Grace Vladimir, among others, it has been decided that the sword should be transmitted to the Museum of Soroca to be exhibited at the Soroca Fortress. This exact copy of the sword is to be displayed in a place that is most accessible to visitors ”, said Vlad Filat. The original, which is kept at Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, will be exhibited in Moldova next spring, when Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan promised to visit. Stephan the Great received the sword as a gift from Pope Sixtus IV after the Battle of Vaslui in recognition of Moldavia's crucial role in defending Christianity against the Ottomans. Its blade is made of Toledo steel, the finest sword-making material available in the Middle Ages. Its cross-shaped hilt is adorned with the insignia of Moldavia. The sword weighs 2.5 kilograms and is 125 centimeters long. Vlad Filat received the replica sword from Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during the former's visit to Ankara and Istanbul last week.