Alexei Mateevici

Alexe (or Alexei) Mateevici (March 27 1888-August 24 1917) was a Romanian poet.

He was born in the village of Zaim, in Eastern Bessarabia, which was part of the Russian Empire, but now is in the Republic of Moldova. He studied at the theological school of Chişinău, and published his first poems ("Ţăranii", "Eu cânt", "Ţara") in the newspaper "Basarabia", where he also published two articles on the Moldavian folklore. Mateevici later published several articles on 'religion in Moldavia.

Mateevici went on to study at the Theological Academy of Kiev, which he graduated in 1914, also the year of his marriage to Teodora Borisovna Novitski. He returned to Chişinău, where he became Greek language teacher at the theological school.

In the summer of 1917, Mateevici wrote several poems, including "Văd prăbuşirea", "Cântec de leagăn", "Basarabenilor", "Frunza nucului", "Unora". On July 17, he wrote the poem "Limba noastră", today the national anthem of the Republic of Moldova.

Less than a month later, he died of epidemic typhus.