Hârjauca Monastery
A monastery in the Codru hills with a spring and a nineteenth-century sanatorium beside it.
Updated 3 September 2026
Hârjauca was founded in the eighteenth century in the wooded Codru hills, and its Ascension church of the 1830s is a substantial classical building with a bell tower, unusual in Moldova for its scale and style. A mineral spring on the site led to a sanatorium being built beside the monastery in the nineteenth century, and the two have coexisted since. The surrounding forest is among the better preserved stretches of the Codru. The monastery also had a period as a tuberculosis sanatorium in the Soviet years, which is how the medical buildings on the site came to be there.
Highlights
- The Ascension church - the classical building of the 1830s with its bell tower.
- The mineral spring - the water source that brought the sanatorium here.
- The sanatorium - the nineteenth-century establishment beside the monastery.
- The Codru forest - the well-preserved woodland around the site.
When to go
April to October is the pleasant season with the forest in leaf. Autumn colour is good in October. Winter is cold.
Good to know
The sanatorium buildings are dated and detract from the setting for some. Dress rules apply at the monastery. The road in is winding.
Nearby
Călărași is west, and Căpriana is southeast.
What to pack for Hârjauca Monastery
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
- Comfortable walking shoes - Sightseeing means kilometres of pavement and cobbles daily. Find on Amazon
- Modest clothing - Shoulders and knees covered - the single most common requirement. Find on Amazon
- A slim anti-theft daypack - Zips that close properly; keep it in front in crowds and on transit. Find on Amazon
- A scarf or shawl - To cover the head or shoulders on entry; women especially at mosques. Find on Amazon
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