The Monk’s Mound

On Calea Mare, in the place called Boulețul Mic, there is Movila Călugărului (the Monk’s Mound), a hill made up of earth and branches. Legend has it that when Stephen the Great had a great war with the Turks at Valea Albă (White Valley) and being defeated, he retreated with the army in the mountains, in Hangu’s area, in Colibița’s meadow. From this place he sent his men to watch closely every movement of the Turks, who were attacking the fortresses of Moldavia, among them was also the Neamț Fortress. One of the men sent by Stephen was a monk. As he was walking on Calea Mare, near Boulețul Mic, he was captured by the Turks and killed, his body remaining unburied, as a prey for the crows and wild animals. After the Turks were forced to retreat, Stephen’s soldiers found the monk’s body and did what was necessary to bury him in the place where he was killed. Unable to dig a deep enough hole, because the ground was rocky, stones were placed over his grave and each soldier passed and put a fir branch. Thus, the monk’s tomb was transformed into a rather large mound, being called by the locals the Monk’s Mound. From that day forward, it has been the custom for passers-by to place a branch on the monk’s tomb, that is still preserved today.