The Căpriana Monastery () is one of the oldest monasteries of

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. ...

, located in Căpriana, 40 km (25 miles) north-west of

Chișinău Chișinău ( , , ; formerly known as Kishinev) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Moldova, largest city of Moldova. The city is Moldova's main industrial and commercial centre, and is located in the middle of the coun ...

Overview

Established in medieval

Moldavia Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially in ...

, Căpriana is situated in a picturesque forested area once called Codrii Lăpușnei. The first significant reference dates from a document issued in 1429 that gave Căpriana the status of royal monastery on behalf of

Alexander the Good Alexander I, commonly known as Alexander the Good (; – 1 January 1432) was Voivode of Moldavia between 1400 and 1432. He was the son of Roman I and succeeded Iuga to the throne. As ruler he initiated a series of reforms while consolidating ...

. In this deed the holy abode was referred to as "mănăstirea de la Vâșnovăț unde este egumen Chiprian" (the monastery of Vâșnovăț where the

hegumen Hegumen, hegumenos, or igumen (, trans. ), is the title for the head of a monastery in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches, or an archpriest in the Coptic Orthodox Church, similar to the title of abbot. The head of a convent of ...

is Chiprian) and was given in the possession of Alexander's wife - princess Marena. After a period of decay, the monastery was rebuilt at the behest of

Petru Rareș Petru Rareș (; – 3 September 1546) or Petru IV was twice voivode of Moldavia from 20 January 1527 to 18 September 1538 and from 19 February 1541 to 3 September 1546. He was an illegitimate child born (probably at Hârlău) to Stephen III of ...

, from 1542 to 1545.

Churches

There are three churches on the monastery site. The Church of the Dormition (a stone summer church) is the oldest extant church in Moldova. The winter church of St George is a twentieth century building. The nineteenth century church is dedicated to St Nicholas. The Church of the Dormition contains the tomb of Metropolitan Gavril Bănulescu-Bodoni.

Gallery

Monasterio de Căpriana, Căpriana, Moldavia, 2023-11-02, DD 33.jpg, Entrance Image:Bise.jpg, The stone church (1491–1496), built in

Moldavian style Moldovenesc style or Moldavian architectural style is a type of architecture developed in Moldavia during the 14th through 19th centuries. The period of maximum flowering of this style was in the period of Stephen III of Moldavia. The Moldavian m ...

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

Stephen the Great Stephen III, better known as Stephen the Great (; ; died 2 July 1504), was List of rulers of Moldavia, Voivode (or Prince) of Moldavia from 1457 to 1504. He was the son of and co-ruler with Bogdan II of Moldavia, Bogdan II, who was murdered in ...

Monasterio de Căpriana, Căpriana, Moldavia, 2023-11-02, DD 70-72 HDR.jpg, Inside the monastery Monasterio de Căpriana, Căpriana, Moldavia, 2023-11-02, DD 38.jpg, The "winter church" was raised in 1903, in a different architectural style ( Neo-Byzantine style) during the

Bessarabia Governorate The Bessarabia Governorate was a province (''guberniya'') of the Russian Empire, with its administrative centre in Kishinev (Chișinău). It consisted of an area of and a population of 1,935,412 inhabitants. The Bessarabia Governorate bordered t ...

Monasterio de Căpriana, Căpriana, Moldavia, 2023-11-02, DD 64-66 HDR.jpg, Iconostasis Monasterio de Căpriana, Căpriana, Moldavia, 2023-11-02, DD 43-45 HDR.jpg, Ceiling

References

External links

Virtual tour
Visit.md
Capriana
Monasteries of Moldova

at molddata.md * Tudor Cires and Simona Lazar
"Tovarăşe părinte, evacuaţi mănăstirea!"
'' Jurnalul Naţional'', June 30, 2007, accessed December 20, 2007
"Panoramas of Căpriana monastery"
at panorama.md
"HDR Photos of Căpriana monastery"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Capriana Monastery Christian monasteries established in the 1420s Churches established by Stephen the Great Eastern Orthodox monasteries in Moldova Churches in Moldova Religious buildings and structures in Moldova