NOUL NEAMT MONASTERY

Consecrated in 1864, its name means "New Neamt", as its history is linked to the Neamt Monastery, a famous medieval religious centre on Romanian territory. During the reign of Alexandru Ioan Cuza, part of the monks of the monastery of Neamt went to Bessarabia, on lands that had belonged to them since the time of Stefan cel Mare. They thus protested against the measures taken to confiscate the monastery's property and prohibit the use of slavon in worship. The founder of the monastery is the monk Theophane Cristea Popovich, who in almost half a century between 1865 and 1912 was responsible for the construction of four churches, a hospital, a refectory and a two-storey monastic cell building. In the centre of the complex is the majestic Cathedral of the Ascension, to its left is the old church built in honour of the Holy Hierarch Nicholas, and opposite it is the Church of the Ascension of the Holy Cross dating from 1885. The church of the Dormition-de-la-Mère-de-Dieu, dating back to 1904, is remarkable with its five chapels and completes the general view of the monastery. The centrepiece is the bell tower, which stands 70 m high on five levels. It was built in 1912 and serves as an entrance. The top floor offers a splendid view of the surroundings.

The monastery was bombed by the Bolsheviks in 1917. In 1962 it was converted into a hospital for tuberculosis patients, one of the churches was converted into a depot and the bell tower into a Soviet military museum. The monastery is depicted on a 10 bani stamp issued in 1997.