MONASTERY DOBRUŞA

This monastic complex is located 58 km north of Orhei and 100 km from Chişinău, on a hill surrounded by forests in a particularly enchanting setting. The monastery of Dobruşa was founded in 1772 by the monk Ioasaf from the monastery of Probota (Romania). A wooden church dedicated to St. Nicholas was completed in 1785 with the contribution of a monk from Curchi Monastery and in 1822 it was built in stone. In 1847 another church, the Church of the Transfiguration, was also built. In its heyday, the monastery's library contained more than 3,000 volumes.

In 1944, the monks evacuated the monastic complex which was temporarily occupied by the staff of the 7th Corps of the Red Army. Like most, it was closed down in 1959 by the Soviet authorities and in 1960 a home for disabled children was built. The Church of the Transfiguration becomes an entertainment club and St. Nicholas' Church a storage warehouse for foodstuffs. The cemetery of the monastery will be destroyed, the crosses will be removed and the place will be transformed into a sports field.

The monastery was reopened in 1994 and the restoration of the Church of the Transfiguration was completed in 1997. The large church, dedicated to St. Nicholas, was renovated more recently. Dobruşa is a beautiful example of Baroque architecture, with Polish and Ukrainian influence, the golden and blue roofs spiralling out of the landscape like jewels. A hermitage dedicated to the holy archangels Michael and Gabriel is on the hill.