The Sihla Monastery

From Sihăstria Monastery, a lane goes up to the Sihla Monastery, following the traces of the hermits who, in the past centuries, out of love for Christ, looked for Him far away in the mountains, through the boundless forest of the Neamţ County.

On the narrow porch of the cliff, within the welcoming shelter of a block of stone, there are two sanctums made of wood, dating back to the 19th century and a little church “made of one fir”, which is only some paces long.

Being built by “Sir aga Ioaniţă Paşcanul Cantacuzino as it is also written in a Holy Gospel… in 1763…”, under the patronage of the “Transfiguration of Christ” Feast, the church “made of one fir” is preserved in almost the initial state, being made of wooden beams.

The interior, slightly lighted and very simple, still preserves, by its privacy, the atmosphere of a long-ago century.

The present church of the monastery dates back to the year 1813. The iconostasis, carved in wood and glazed in gold, confers a fine and pleasant aspect to the interior.
On the left side, in a small reliquary made of carved wood, there are some parts of the relics of some saints: the head of St. Jeremiah, some parts of Saint John the Baptist, Mary Magdalene, Modest and some relics of Saint Jacob, the Hierarch.

On the northern side of the Sihla Mountain, on a hidden lane, you can go up to the Cave of Saint Theodora.
This is the place where, by means of fast and prayer, she was mortified for years. In order to pay a tribute to her life, it is said that the Sihla Monastery was built in 1725 and in 1991, also in her memory, was built the monastery in the Woods of Pașcani under the patronage of Saint Theodora.

She was sanctified on 7th August and was named by the Orthodox Church “the spiritual and pretious flower, Christ’s bride, who was offered by the blessed land of Moldavia”.