The Horaița Monastery
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About
During more than 150 years since the establishment of the monarchy in Romania, Neamţ county has been host to members of the royal family on numerous occasions, the first "royal" visit to Neamţ taking place only a few months after the arrival of Prince Carol I in the country, in August 1866. In a less pleasant context, Charles II arrived on the German throne.
In 1918, while he was in Târgu Neamţ in command of the Mountain Hunter Regiment, Prince Carol II fled to Odessa to secretly marry Zizi Lambrino. Because he deserted, he was arrested for 75 days at the Horaița Monastery, an isolated and difficult place to access at that time. At the monastery, there are still some furniture items that were brought from Bucharest specifically to make the prince's stay more comfortable. It is about a sofa with two armchairs and a table with six chairs that can be found today in the guest room intended for important visitors of the monastery.
The Horaița Monastery is located in the village of Poiana in the commune of Dobreni, in a particularly picturesque place, conducive to monastic life, but also to the meeting of pilgrims with God and nature alike. Today's church is a foundation of Archimandrite Ermoghen Buhuși from the 19th century (built between 1848-1867), in an old monastic hearth. A first wooden shelter would have existed here since the 15th century. In a document from July 1428, the ruler of Moldavia Alexandru cel Bun mentioned a church in Horaița in a row of 52 places, given to the care of the Bistrița Monastery.
The name of the monastery comes from the name of the family that owned many properties in the area, Goraeti. The only one in Moldova that is dedicated to the Baptism of the Lord, the church is also unique in its architecture that combines Romano-Byzantine elements with Russian influences, but also in its neo-Byzantine style painting, on a brick background made only in the period 1988-1993 by the painter Mihai Chiuariu. Of particular beauty is the tapestry, carved in baroque style, from linden wood, hair and thuja, decorated with gold and rich embroidery. The pulpit is 4 m above the royal doors, a fact that is no longer found in any Orthodox church in the country or in the world.
The church of the monastery houses the icon of the miracle-working Mother of God "the deliverer from drought", considered the most precious smell of the place. The people of the monastery say that the icon has saved the surrounding villages many times in times of drought by bringing, following processions organized by priests and believers, the long-awaited rains. It seems that this comes from the old wooden church, being made in the first half of the 18th century.
The monastic complex also includes the "Saint Hierarch Nicholas" Chapel, the "Descent of the Holy Spirit" Chapel from the Bell Tower, but also other more recent constructions, some intended for the monastery community, others for pilgrims or guests from among the high hierarchs of the Romanian Orthodox Church.
In 1918, while he was in Târgu Neamţ in command of the Mountain Hunter Regiment, Prince Carol II fled to Odessa to secretly marry Zizi Lambrino. Because he deserted, he was arrested for 75 days at the Horaița Monastery, an isolated and difficult place to access at that time. At the monastery, there are still some furniture items that were brought from Bucharest specifically to make the prince's stay more comfortable. It is about a sofa with two armchairs and a table with six chairs that can be found today in the guest room intended for important visitors of the monastery.
The Horaița Monastery is located in the village of Poiana in the commune of Dobreni, in a particularly picturesque place, conducive to monastic life, but also to the meeting of pilgrims with God and nature alike. Today's church is a foundation of Archimandrite Ermoghen Buhuși from the 19th century (built between 1848-1867), in an old monastic hearth. A first wooden shelter would have existed here since the 15th century. In a document from July 1428, the ruler of Moldavia Alexandru cel Bun mentioned a church in Horaița in a row of 52 places, given to the care of the Bistrița Monastery.
The name of the monastery comes from the name of the family that owned many properties in the area, Goraeti. The only one in Moldova that is dedicated to the Baptism of the Lord, the church is also unique in its architecture that combines Romano-Byzantine elements with Russian influences, but also in its neo-Byzantine style painting, on a brick background made only in the period 1988-1993 by the painter Mihai Chiuariu. Of particular beauty is the tapestry, carved in baroque style, from linden wood, hair and thuja, decorated with gold and rich embroidery. The pulpit is 4 m above the royal doors, a fact that is no longer found in any Orthodox church in the country or in the world.
The church of the monastery houses the icon of the miracle-working Mother of God "the deliverer from drought", considered the most precious smell of the place. The people of the monastery say that the icon has saved the surrounding villages many times in times of drought by bringing, following processions organized by priests and believers, the long-awaited rains. It seems that this comes from the old wooden church, being made in the first half of the 18th century.
The monastic complex also includes the "Saint Hierarch Nicholas" Chapel, the "Descent of the Holy Spirit" Chapel from the Bell Tower, but also other more recent constructions, some intended for the monastery community, others for pilgrims or guests from among the high hierarchs of the Romanian Orthodox Church.
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