CURCHI MONASTERY

This monastery is surrounded by centuries-old oak trees, contemporaries of Vasile Lupu and Stefan cel Mare. It was founded in 1773 by Iordache and Mihail Curchi. In 1843, the winter church of St. Dimitru was built in stone in place of the old wooden church dating from 1775. The Cathedral of the Birth of the Virgin was built in 1866-1872. The architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli (Italian architect) used classicism and a Baroque touch. The central dome rises to 57 m, one of the highest in the country. The site comprises nine buildings, with cells and apartments for the superior, built at the beginning of the 20th century, and a basin. At the beginning of the 20th century were built the Church of All Saints (1908-1909) and the Church of St. Nicholas (1914). In 1958, the monastery was closed and housed a psychiatric hospital, a mortuary, a school and a discotheque. The old cemetery was levelled and some stones were used for the construction of the surrounding wall. The Communist authorities evicted the monks, confiscating many items of historical and cultural value (ancient manuscripts, icons, books).

During the 1990s the site was in a poor state, with many buildings in ruins. The monastery regained its function on 21 September 1993 and was handed over to the Orthodox Church of Moldova in 2002. Restoration work has restored the site to its former beauty. The monastery is very popular and many pilgrims come here for the Easter celebrations. The frescoes in the Church of St. Nicholas are magnificent.