Sihăstria Monastery
1655
The monastery was built in 1655 by the bishop Ghedeon of Huși, apprentice of the Moldavian metropolitan Varlaam Moțoc. The chosen place was “the Anastasie’s opening”, and the first inhabitants were seven hermits from the Neamț Monastery. Nowadays, in the same space there are two churches, the old and the new one, built in the 1990s.
In the monastery’s graveyard, which became a pilgrimage place, there is the grave of Father Cleopa, father superior of this monastery. The graveyard was set up in the current place by the Father in the period 1944-1945.
At the beginning of the XVIII century, the Sihăstria Small Monastery reached a state close to a ruin. Thus, in 1734, the Bishop Ghedeon of Roman built a new church which he dedicated to the Secu Monastery. In 1821, as a consequence of the battles between the Eterists bands of Alexander Ipsilanti and the Turks, the Sihăstria Monastery suffered damages. But, with the help of metropolitan Veniamin Costachi, the rebuilding works began in 1824 and lasted almost two years.
In 1837 it was built a wooden chapel with the titular saint of the Saint Parents Joachim and Anna and, further on, other two sanctum buildings, in the east and the north side. In the summer of 1941 a big fire burnt down the wooden chapel and a part of the sanctums from Sihăstria, and in 1942 Father Cleopa was appointed superior. Subsequently, the burnt precinct and the sanctums of the monastery were rebuilt.
1947
After 1947, Sihăstria became a missionary monastery, looked for by many pilgrims, and after 1989, when the parish grew a lot in number, it was felt the need of building a bigger church. As a patron saint of the new church it was chosen Saint Theodora from Sihla. In 1999, the construction of the Saint Theodora from Sihla Cathedral ended, and in 2004 the interior painting, in fresco, was finished.
The new church attracts numerous tourists impressed by the paintings and the religious objects, but also persons who knew the archimandrite father Cleopa (1912-1998). The words of wisdom of father Cleopa were kept in 16 volumes of teachings called “Father Cleopa Speaks to Us”, and for getting to know his life you can visit the St. Father Cleopa Small Monastery.
The Sihăstria Monastery also owns a library, with over one thousand volumes, some of them printed in the period of the XVII-XVIII centuries.
Details
Address: Town Vânători, County Neamț
Phone: +4 0233.251.486;
Fax: 0233.251.978
Web: www.sihastria.mmb.ro