FRUMOASA MONASTERY

Located on a hill and surrounded on all sides by other wooded hills, the monastery of Frumoasa is well named (frumoasa means "beautiful"). In 1804, four monks began the construction of a wooden hermitage consisting of four cells and a refectory. In 1806, the first church of the Assumption is built, with oak planks. On May 9, 1839, a thunderbolt almost burned the building, so a stone church was built, consecrated on October 8, 1850. In 1872, the monastery had a parish school for the children of the village from 8 years old. The mission of this school was to give the children basic and religious education. The eighteen lessons per week were given in Russian. Between 1879 and 1882, Archimandrite Gherman had the winter church built.
The monastery continued its development during the First World War and when Bessarabia was annexed to the Kingdom of Romania in 1918. In June 1940, after the annexation of Bessarabia to the USSR, the sisters fled and took refuge in Romanian territory. The monastery was eventually confiscated in 1947 and requisitioned by the Soviets. The religious left the complex for good. In 1948 the monastery became an orphanage, in 1965 a school for deaf and dumb children, from 1973 to 1985 a holiday centre for girls, and from 1986 to 1994 a school for mentally handicapped children. Since 1994, this magnificent monastery has finally been restored and has resumed its functions.