The Curchi Monastery () is an

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, otherwise known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity or Byzantine Christianity, is one of the three main Branches of Christianity, branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholic Church, Catholicism and Protestantism ...

monastery in

Vatici Vatici is a commune in Orhei District, Moldova Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to th ...

Orhei District Orhei () is a district () in central Moldova, with its administrative center in the city of Orhei. As of 2014 Moldovan Census its population was 101,502. History The Orhei region has been inhabited since the Stone Age. Settlements included t ...

Moldova Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. ...

. There are several churches on the site, including the baroque cathedral Nașterea Domnului, which was designed by

Bartolomeo Rastrelli Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli (; 1700 – 29 April 1771) was an Italian architect who worked mainly in Russia. He developed an easily recognizable style of Late Baroque, both sumptuous and majestic. His major works, including the Winter Palace ...

and has the highest dome in Moldova. The monastery was used as a psychiatric hospital between 1959 and 1999, but it reopened as a monastery in 2005.

Construction

The monastery is located in Orhei forest near

Curchi Vatici is a commune in Orhei District, Moldova Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to th ...

, approximately 14 km southwest of the town of Orhei. The monastery was founded between 1773 and 1775, although some date the founding to the conversion of the later stone church to a monastery in 1868. The monastery complex includes five church in total. The Baroque cathedral Nașterea Domnului was designed by

, inspired by the

Church of St Andrew St. Andrew's Church, Church of St Andrew, or variants thereof, may refer to: Albania * St. Andrew's Church, Himarë Australia Australian Capital Territory * St Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Canberra, founded by John Walker (Presbyterian minis ...

in Kyiv, and built in 1872. Its 57 metre dome is the highest dome in Moldova. A fire in the church during the Second World War destroyed two of the original belfries, and the icons and iconostasis. A stone church, also called the summer church, Naşterea Domnului, was built at the site in 1810, dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. The winter church St. Demetrius was built in 1844, and a winter church of St. Nicholas, was built in 1936-–1939 but was not finished. The monastery was used as a psychiatric hospital between 1959 and 1999, but it reopened as a monastery in 2005, by which time it was in need of repair. A fund-raising campaign to raise money to repair the church was spearheaded by the President of Moldova.

References

{{coord, 47.3339, 28.6535, type:landmark_region:MD, display=title Eastern Orthodox monasteries in Moldova