THE MOLDAVIAN MONASTERIES

After arriving at the Bucharest Otopeni airport, you continue to drive north, accompanied by the tour guide.

 

In the morning you drive through the Southern Carpathians into Transylvania. Here you can, if you wish, make a short stop in Brasov to get to know the history of the Transylvanian Saxons. The journey continues north, through the Szeklerland, where there is a strong Hungarian minority. This time in the afternoon you cross the Eastern Carpathians through the Bicaz Gorge and past the Red Lake. In the late afternoon you visit the Pingarati Monastery, which was built in the 15th century and has been inhabited by monks again from 1991.

 

In the morning you will drive on with off-road vehicles to penetrate the wilderness of the Carpathian Mountains. First you visit the monastery Bistrita, founded by Prince Petru Musat (1374). After visiting the monastery, drive on by off-road vehicle towards the village of Gircina. Part of the way has to be walked through the forest In the late afternoon you arrive at the Almas monastery, which was founded in 1715. Today around 15 monks live there.

 

In the mornings, take an off-road vehicle towards the Horaicioara monastery, which was founded in the 18th century by Transylvanian farmers. The legend mentions that the hermit Irinarh made the small monastery famous. At a distance of one km is the monastery of Horaita, where there are still 24 monks. At first the monastery was made of wood. In 1725 it was rebuilt after being destroyed by robbers.

 

In the morning you leave the monastery Horaita and drive towards the small monastery Sihla, which has been inhabited by 4 monks again since 1991. It was founded in the 16th century and is dedicated to the birth of St. John the Baptist (June 24th). Nearby you can visit the cave that was inhabited by St. Theodora from the Carpathians in the 17th century. This holy nun lived here for over 60 years. Saint Theodora is now buried in the Pecerska Monastery in Kiev. Sihastria Monastery is 3 km from Sihla Monastery. There are now about 120 monks. It is a very important monastery in Romania related to the Orthodox faith. There are a large number of learned monks who deal with the problems of Orthodox theology. In the late afternoon you reach the Secu Monastery, where there are about 50 monks. The monastery was founded in 1602 by Prince Nestor Ureche and is one of the few monasteries in Moldova with strong curtain walls and defensive structures.

 

In the morning you visit the Nifon Monastery, 3 km from the Secu Monastery. This monastery was founded in 1664 by the hermit Nifon and unfortunately destroyed by the Turks in 1821. The monastery has been revived since 1991. Immediately afterwards you visit the Procov Monastery, which has 6 monks. It was founded in 1714 by Bishop Pahomius and has four expensive religious objects. On foot, through the forest, where Romania's bison reserve is located, you can get to Vovidenia Monastery in an hour. Here we meet the 8 monks who live in this monastery. Rare icons painted on fabric can be seen in the monastery. From here it is 2 km to the Neamt Monastery, which was founded in 1376. Here you can get to know an important part of the life of the Orthodox monks.

 

The minibus is waiting at the hotel and will take you for the last 2 days. In the morning you visit the two largest nunneries in Europe. The monasteries of Varatec and Agapia each have over 1000 nuns and novices. These are already organized as small villages. In the evening you reach Buzau.

 

In the morning you drive towards the capital of Romania. After a short city tour, drive to Bucharest-Otopeni Airport.

 

• Full board;

 • Price per person (groups of at least 8 guests) - 795 €