Nikolai Spathari (1636–1708), also known as Nicolae Milescu and Nicolae Milescu Spătaru, was a Moldavian-born writer, diplomat and traveler, who lived and worked in the Tsardom of Russia. He spoke nine languages: Romanian, Russian, Latin, both Attic and Modern Greek, French, German, Turkish and Swedish. One of his grandsons was the Spătar (Chancellor) Yuri Stefanovich, who came to Russia in 1711 with Dimitrie Cantemir.  Read more..

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On June 1, 2021, the Post of Moldova put into circulation a new postmark dedicated to the 385th anniversary of the birth of Nicolae Milescu Spătaru (1636-1708), Moldovan boyar, from a Greco-Moldovan Orthodox family, entered in history as an eminent diplomat of the Russian Empire, politician, scholar, translator, theologian, traveler and geographer. Speaking 9 languages, Nicolae Milescu Spătaru is best known for his scholarly works and the memory of the Russian Spathari Embassy in China, which he directed between 1675 and 1678. This expedition was sent by Tsar Alexis I in order to settle in particular the route of the border on the Amur River and to establish trade relations with the empire of the Qing dynasty. From his trip to China, Milescu brought back three treatises which are descriptions in Russian of the country crossed: Journey through Siberia to the borders of China, Travel Notes and Description of China.. Read more..