Văratec Monastery

It is recognized as the largest convent in Romania. We know that at Monastery Văratec are living over 400 nuns. The monastery was not based, as you might think, by princes, or by great counselors of the country, but through painstaking of the true believers, of the Mother Olympiada initiative. Although it was founded in 1785, only after more than 50 years (in 1839), it is known as an independent monastery. Stone walls that close the precinct where is the Church of the Assumption (1812) are constructed since 1808, ending up at 1850, with bell tower, begun in 1840, which has three levels. There followed the Church St. John the Baptist (1844), the Transfiguration Church (1847), the abbey, administrative buildings and Workshop Queen Mary. Outside the precinct, we find a real monastic village, lined on narrow streets made of traditional peasant houses where, we remember this interesting detail and not without picturesque, nuns live their life in huts built during the nineteenth and twentieth century. The monastic complex also includes the monastery museum with a valuable artistic and historical heritage, located within the precinct of the big church, which we recommend to visit. You can also visit the grave of Veronica Micle, who lived a short time in the monastery, located nearby (about 100 m).

Among the first writers who arrived here, were Dimitrie Bolintineanu that was talking about the monastery and the village (town of nuns) in the volume of memoirsTravels in Moldova(1859). Ion Creangă described the area where he grew up at the beginning of Part III ofChildhood memories.Mihail Sadoveanu wrote about monastery in the volumePeople and Places(1908), and Calistrat Hogaș described in the monastery in the storyFrom Văratic to Săcuin volumeOn mountain roads(1912). Here are some guidelines that may provide an incentive to not detour on our journey through Neamt County, Văratec Monastery, historical monument, this holy place where near is The Reserve Copper Woods and Silver Forest.