 In 1859-1860, as the political union was being effected under the rule of Alexander John Cuza as "Domnitor", V. A. Urechia briefly served as Moldavia's Minister of Religious Affairs in the Kogălniceanu administration.During his term in office, he awarded scholarships to local undergraduates, sending them to complete their education in the universities of France, Spain, Portugal and the Kingdom of Sardinia.Also then, he published the literary criticism volumes "Schiţări de literatură română" ("Sketches of Romanian Literature", 1859) and "O vorbă despre literatura desfrînată ce se încearcă a se introduce în societatea română" ("A Word on the Profligate Literature that Threatens to Introduce Itself into Romanian Society", 1863).