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; its stone church of the Dormition, rebuilt under Petru Rareș in 1542-1545, is counted as the oldest surviving church in Moldova. Three churches stand in the walled enclosure: the sixteenth-century Dormition, the nineteenth-century church of St Nicholas and the twentieth-century winter church of St George. It was closed in the Soviet period and used as a sanatorium before being returned and restored from the 1990s.

Highlights

• The Dormition church - the stone building rebuilt under Petru Rareș in 1542-1545.
• The three churches - buildings of the sixteenth, nineteenth and twentieth 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.

Good to know

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.

Key facts