Căușeni

Căușeni is a town and the administrative center of Căușeni District, Moldova.

History
In the 17th and 18th centuries, Căușeni was the capital of the Budjak Horde.

The 17th century Assumption of Our Lady Church is the oldest surviving building in the town. It is set more than 3 ft below ground level and preserves the only medieval fresco in the Republic of Moldova. Executed by Walachian painters in a late Byzantine-Romanian style, the interiors feature religious scenes and iconography in vibrant reds, gold, and blues.

At one time it was a vibrant Jewish shtetl. In 1897, 45 percent of the population (1,675) was Jewish, most working in agriculture.

Demographics
According to the 2014 census, the population of Căușeni amounted to 15,939 inhabitants, a decrease compared to the previous census in 2004, when 17,757 inhabitants were registered. Of these, 7,606 were men and 8,333 were women.

Footnotes:

* There is an ongoing controversy regarding the ethnic identification of Moldovans and Romanians.

* ''Moldovan language is one of the two local names for the Romanian language in Moldova. In 2013, the Constitutional Court of Moldova interpreted that Article 13 of the constitution is superseded by the Declaration of Independence, thus giving official status to the name Romanian. ''

Notable people

 * Bianna Golodryga, journalist at CNN
 * Alexandru Pînzari, former Moldovan Chief of Police and former Moldovan Minister of Defence