Slatina Monastery: the burial place of Prince Alexandru Lăpușneanu

Slatina Monastery (Mănăstirea Slatina) stands in the wooded valley of the Suha Mică stream at the foot of the Stânișoara Mountains, in the village of Slatina in southern Bucovina. It is an active Orthodox convent of the Romanian Orthodox Church and one of the most interesting princely foundations of the 16th century: it was built by the Moldavian prince Alexandru Lăpușneanu, who is also buried here. The name comes from a salt-water spring, a "slatina", that once flowed nearby.

Alexandru Lăpușneanu's foundation

According to the legend, which the monastery itself retells, the hermit Pahomie saw lights in a great sycamore maple in a clearing and heard angelic singing, and the Mother of God told him in a dream to go to the prince and ask him to build a monastery here. Construction began in 1553, and on 14 October 1558 Metropolitan Grigorie Roșca consecrated the Church of the Transfiguration in the presence of 116 priests and deacons, as the chronicler Grigore Ureche records. The altar is said to stand exactly where the maple grew. Marble from Hațeg was brought for the decoration and lead from Poland for the roof. Later the monastery was surrounded by walls with bastions. In 1568 Lăpușneanu, gravely ill, took monastic vows under the name Pahomie and was buried in his church; beside him rest his wife Ruxandra, daughter of Petru Rareș, and their two daughters. The monastery survived plunder in 1691, a siege and fire in 1821, rebuilding in 1823–1834 under Metropolitan Veniamin Costachi, who spent his last years here, closure in 1959 and revival in 1962 as a convent. From 1949 to 1956 its abbot was the well-known spiritual father Cleopa Ilie.

Why go

Slatina is quiet Bucovina, off the coach-tour circuit. There are no exterior frescoes as at the UNESCO painted monasteries; instead you find an austere stone church in the classic Moldavian style, the tombs of the prince and his family, walls with towers and forest right behind the enclosure. It combines well with a trip to the painted churches, which lie a few dozen kilometres away at Humor and Voroneț. Come here if you are interested in the history of the Principality of Moldavia and in living monastic tradition.

What to see

• The Church of the Transfiguration (1553–1564) — a classic Moldavian building with porch, burial chamber, nave and altar, a tower above the nave and wide eaves.
• The princely tombs — tombstones of Alexandru Lăpușneanu, his wife Ruxandra and their daughters, carved from Hațeg marble.
• The stone slab with the Moldavian coat of arms (the aurochs) above the entrance — a Slavonic inscription of 1582, set up under Abbot Nil.
• The 16th-century princely house, used as the refectory since the 1820s, and the stone fountain of 1591.
• The gate tower of 1829–1834, the walls and the cell building with an open gallery on wooden columns.

Practical information

Address: strada Alexandru Lăpușneanu 258, Slatina village, Suceava County. The monastery stands on the edge of the village, about 28 km north-west of Fălticeni; by car from Suceava it is roughly an hour's drive. From Ukraine the most convenient route is via the Porubne – Siret border crossing and then through Suceava. Visiting hours: daily 7:00–21:00; weekday services: 5:30 Matins and Liturgy, 16:00 Vespers, 18:00 Akathist (according to the monastery website, as of November 2026). A guided tour can be arranged on +40 755 348 314; monastery phone +40 230 573 928. The monastery does not state an entrance fee — check before you go. The feast of the monastery is the Transfiguration, 6 August. This is an active convent: wear modest clothing covering shoulders and knees, speak quietly and do not disturb services. Allow 40–60 minutes for the visit.

Nearby

• Humor Monastery — a UNESCO painted church near Gura Humorului.
• Voroneț Monastery — the famous "blue" frescoes, UNESCO.
• The Wooden Art Museum in Câmpulung Moldovenesc.
• Dragomirna Monastery — a fortified stone monastery near Suceava.

Official website: manastireaslatina.ro

Photos: MirNicRai, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Curcan ionel, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Cezar Suceveanu, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; Losy, CC BY-SA 3.0 ro, Wikimedia Commons; Sinziana, CC BY-SA 3.0 ro, Wikimedia Commons.