Neamț Monastery: the oldest monastery of Moldavia

"The Jerusalem of Romanian Orthodoxy"

Neamț Monastery (Mănăstirea Neamț) is the oldest and largest monastery for men in historical Moldavia, an active community of the Romanian Orthodox Church in the village of Mănăstirea Neamț, Vânători-Neamț commune, about 12 km north-west of Neamț Citadel. It is called "the Jerusalem of Romanian Orthodoxy". According to local tradition, monks built a wooden "White Church" here as early as the 14th century, Prince Petru I Mușat (1375–1391) raised the first stone church, and the oldest surviving document about the monastery is dated 7 January 1407, in the reign of Alexander the Good.

The present main church of the Ascension was built by Stephen III the Great in 1485–1497, after the earthquake of 1471 had ruined Petru Mușat's church; it was consecrated after the victory in the Cosmin Forest in 1497. The monastery was one of the greatest centres of medieval book culture: the calligrapher and miniaturist Gavriil Uric worked here, a printing press operated in the 19th century, and the library now holds more than 19,000 volumes. For Ukrainians the monastery has a special meaning: in 1779–1794 it was led by St Paisius Velichkovsky, a native of Poltava, who gathered a large multinational community of monks here and revived the tradition of spiritual eldership. His tomb is in Stephen the Great's church.

Why go

The Church of the Ascension is regarded as a model of the mature Moldavian style: Gothic windows and buttresses combine with Byzantine bands of glazed ceramic discs in green, yellow and brown, and the burial chamber between the pronaos and the naos appeared here for the first time. The monastery still lives a full monastic life, and this is the best place to sense the role the monasteries of the Neamț valley played in the history of Moldavia. Secu and Sihăstria monasteries and the Vânători-Neamț Nature Park are close by, so the monastery is a natural starting point for a day in the "valley of monasteries".

What to see

• The Church of the Ascension (1485–1497) with decorated façades and an octagonal tower with niches and glazed discs.
• Frescoes: the painting of the altar, naos and burial chamber from Stephen the Great's time (restored in 1991–2004) and the painting of the pronaos and porch from the time of Petru Rareș, with a calendar of the 12 months and the seven Ecumenical Councils.
• Tombs: of St Paisius Velichkovsky (d. 15 November 1794) and of Prince Stephen II, Stephen the Great's uncle, and in the porch the tombstones of metropolitans of Moldavia.
• The 1864 iconostasis of carved pear and yew wood covered with gilding.
• The miracle-working icon of the Mother of God, which according to tradition the Byzantine Emperor John VIII Palaiologos gave to Alexander the Good in 1429.
• The bell tower, built in stages between 1407 and 1821, with a painted passage and an oak gate of 1769.
• The aghiasmatarion — a round chapel for the blessing of water with a large dome in front of the monastery (first half of the 19th century) — as well as St George's church and the cemetery church of St John the Theologian.

Practical information

Address: Mănăstirea Neamț, comuna Vânători-Neamț, cod 617502, Neamț County. Monastery phones: +40 233 251 580, +40 756 900 539, e-mail [email protected]. The DN15B road leads to the monastery from Târgu Neamț towards Pipirig (about 12 km); from Piatra Neamț it is about 55 km. From Ukraine the easiest route is via the Porubne – Siret border crossing and Suceava: about 120 km from the border.

The monastery does not publish official visiting hours or prices on its website — check by phone before you go. This is an active monastery for men, so follow the rules usual in Orthodox monasteries in Romania: modest clothing covering shoulders and knees, women are advised to have a headscarf and a skirt, silence in the church; ask permission before taking photos inside. The patronal feast is the Ascension (the 40th day after Easter), when very many pilgrims gather here. Allow about an hour for the courtyard and the church.

Nearby

• Neamț Citadel — Stephen the Great's stronghold above Târgu Neamț.
• Secu Monastery — a fortified 17th-century monastery in the neighbouring valley.
• Sihăstria Monastery — the community of Elder Cleopa Ilie.
• Bison safari in Vânători-Neamț — the nature park's bison with a ranger.
• Agapia Monastery with paintings by Nicolae Grigorescu.

Official website: neamt.mmb.ro

Photos: Misa.stefanovic.07, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Curcan ionel, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Acristianas, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Ciprian Cobuz, CC BY-SA 3.0 ro, Wikimedia Commons; Cristian Bortes from Cluj-Napoca, Romania, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons; The original uploader was Cezarika1 at Romanian Wikipedia., CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons.