Mănăstiri Hăncu, Căpriana and St. Nicholas

On Sunday, September 25, my hosts Tudor and Maria took me on a tour of three monasteries located within relatively close driving distance of our village.  There are several Orthodox monasteries throughout Moldova.  Each is distinct and important because of the history represented and culture symbolized in this primarily Russian Orthodox country.  The monastery histories are taken from Discover the Routes of Life Moldova website (http://www.moldovaholiday.travel) and other online information including that of the Orthodox Church of Moldova.  The pictures are from my visit.

Hâncu Monastery  (Romanian:  Mănăstirea Hăncu)

The Hăncu Monastery is located in the village of Bursuc, Raion Nisporeni, Moldova. It is situated in a forest at the source of the Cogalnic River, about 55 km west of Chișinău.

The Great High Steward Mihai Hăncu founded a convent for nuns in 1678 at the request of one of his daughters who desired to live a religious life in a community.  She entered the convent and became a nun with the name of Parascheva.  The convent was known as Viadica until the 17th century.

In the middle of the 18th century when the Tatars invaded the nuns left the convent.  After the Russian army arrived in Bessarabia in 1770-1772, the Hâncu family successors asked the Monk Varlaam from the Varzaresti Monastery to take care of the abandoned convent. Varlaam, together with a group of mons who came with him, took care of the household and repaired the cells, and in time the monastery became a living place for the monks.

In 1817 a wooden church was built at the monastery and its inside walls were fashioned with many beautiful icons, eight of which were painted on planks of wood and gilded with gold. Hâncu was the first monastic settlement of Bessarabia where community life was introduced in about 1820-1822.

Both the inner life of the convent and its community household developed significantly during the supervision of the Bulgarian Abbot Dosoftei.  Where the old wooden church stood, in 1835 he built a new stone church dedicated to the Holy Virgin Dormition.  Cells for the monks were also constructed, waster was brought into the monastery and the administration of the monastery was improved.  At the end of the 19th century, the monastery was known under the name of Hâncu-Parascheva.

In 1944 the monastery and all its holdings were nationalized, and in 1965 the monastery was closed and the monks were forced to leave.  Subsequently in 1978 the monastery was transferred to the Institute of Medicine and became a sanatorium for people suffering from tuberculosis and a spa for students and employees.  Saint Pious Parascheva summer church was later turned into a club.

Hâncu Monastery was re-established in 1990 as a place for monks, but in 1992 the community was abolished.  However, in the spring of 1992, Hâncu became a convent for nuns and later that year, in September 1992, reconstruction of the monastery began.  In 1993 repairs to the Holy Virgin Dormition winter church, built in 1841, were finished, and the full interior of the church was repainted in 1998.  Saint Pious Parascheva summer church, built in 1835, was repaired in 1996. Three old buildings constructed in 1841 remain untouched on the monastery's territory.

Today Hâncu Monastery is home to a vibrant community of nuns.  This beautiful Orthodox monument has become one of the most visited historical sites and leading churches in Moldova.

Căpriana Monastery (Romanian:  Mănăstirea Căpriana)

The Căpriana Monastery is located in the village of Căpriana, Raion Strășeni, 40 km northwest of Chișinău.  One of the oldest monasteries of Moldova, Căpriana is situated in a picturesque forest area once called Codrii Lăpușnei, in the Isnovat locality on the bank of the River Isnavat.

The first official document to contain information about Căpriana Monastery is Alexandru cel Bun's royal charter dated April 25, 1420.  A royal legacy charter dated February 10, 1429 is the second document to mention the monastery.  Căpriana was given the status of royal monastery on behalf of Alexander cel Bun or Alexander the Good.

Initially the monastery was named after Vasnavet, the river flowing near the monastery.  Later it was renamed Căpriana, in honor of Chiprian who was the first Superior of the monastery.  After a period of decay, the monastery was rebuilt at the behest of Petru Rareș from 1542 to 1545. The papers of the chronicler Grigore Ureche record that Petru Rareș, the ruler of moldova (1527-1538, 1541-1546) built Căpriana's first stone church, the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.

Because of economic decline and cultural stagnation, Căpriana Monastery experienced a difficult period during the 17th century.  Only after 1813 thanks to Metropolitan Bishop Gavriil Banulescu-Bodoni was there a re-invigoration of monastic life at Căpriana. In 1837, Căpriana Monastery was given to Zograful Monastery which controlled it until March 9, 1873.  After the Russian-Turkish wars Bessarabia, an historical region in Eastern Europe which today is mostly occupied by modern Moldova, was annexed to the Russian Empire, and in 1813 the monastery was subordinated to the Bessarabia Archiepiscopacy.

On June 29, 1940, a day after the conquest of Bessarabia by Soviet troops, the monastery was confiscated.  The last abbot was the Superior Eugeniu (1952-1962), and the last church service was held on October 25, 1962.  The monks took refuge in other parishes and the monastery was desecrated and pillaged.  In 1962 it was transformed into a sanatorium for sick children.  The monastery refectory or dining room was transformed into a club where dancing, drinking parties and weddings were held.

In 1989, at the decision of the Republic of Moldova Council of Ministers, Căpriana Monastery once again became a place for religious services.  From 1994 until 1997 the refectory was restored and transformed into a church for winter services.  Reconstruction of the monastery continued until 2007.

Today the Căpriana Monastery consists of three churches:  Assumption of the Virgin Mary (1545, medieval Moldovan style); St. Nicholas (1840); and St. George (1907, late baroque style). The Assumption of the Virgin Mary Church, the summer church, is the oldest one preserved in the territory of Moldova. Metropolitan Gavriil Banulescu-Bodoni is buried there. The monastery complex also includes the abbot's house, refectory and monks' cells, and holds the largest religious library in Moldova.  The library has been preserved along with gifts from different kings.

St. Nicholas Monastery  (Romanian:  Mănăstirea Sf. Nicolae)

St. Nicholas Monastery is located in the village of Condrița, 26 km northwest of Chișinau.  It is situated on the banks of the Rivulet Catarrh.

According to historical documents, St. Nicholas Monastery was founded in 1783 by the Monk Joseph who came from Căpriana Monastery to which it belonged.  The Church of the Assumption was built between 1895 and 1897.

In 1918, St. Nicholas or Condrița Monastery separated from Căpriana Monastery and became an independent monastery.  The first monastic elder was Abbot Daniel, Dumitru Grozavu.  At this time the monastery was considered to be at its peak prosperity with 45 brothers in residence.

During the Soviet era in 1947, St. Nicholas Monastery was closed.  The monastery was looted, part of the property was confiscated, and the cemetery and various outbuildings were completely destroyed. The church was converted variously into a club, warehouse and school.

St. Nicholas Monastery was reopened in 1993.  The monastic areas had been left devastated. In a somewhat better state was St. Nicholas Church, which was the club, while Assumption Church was roofless and had fallen plaster on the outside.  With the help of the faithful from the village and its environs they built two groups of houses.  Renovation, repair and restoration continues.

Today St. Nicholas Monastery has communal monks and priests in residence.  It is a place of prayer in the heart of Moldova.