Căpriana Monastery

Căpriana is first documented in 1429, which makes it among the oldest monastic foundations in Moldova, and it was patronised by rulers including Ștefan cel Mare, who built the stone church of the Dormition there. Three churches stand in the walled enclosure, from the fifteenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It was closed in the Soviet period and used as a sanatorium before being returned and restored from the 1990s.

What you actually see

• The Dormition church - the stone building associated with Ștefan cel Mare.
• The three churches - buildings of the fifteenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries together.
• The Codru setting - the oak and hornbeam forest the monastery sits in.
• The restoration - the work done since the monastery was returned in the 1990s.

When to go

April to October is the pleasant season with the forest in leaf. Services restrict access at times. Winter is cold and the site is quiet.

Honest expectations

Restoration since the 1990s has been heavy and much of what stands is renewed. Dress rules apply and are enforced. The monastery is busy at weekends and on feast days.

Nearby

The Codru reserve is south, and Chișinău is east.