Known in Romania as a place of Holy Men, Sihăstria Monastery is rooted in 1655, being founded by Bishop Ghedeon of Huşi. The place is surrounded by forests and has a lot of legends associated. Father Cleopa is the most famous confessor in the Orthodox Romanian tradition and he is buried here. Many believers come to light a candle and pray for his soul.
The monastery is located 22 km from Târgu Neamț. In 1655, the first church was built, next to which cells were later built. The place where the monastery is located is known as Poiana lui Atanasie. This offered favorable conditions for a hermit’s life, but with more favorable conditions. The first survivors were 7 hermits, who left the Neamț Monastery.
Following the repeated invasions of the Tartars in the first part of the 18th century, they made the monastery almost a ruin. Following the fighting with the Turkish invaders, the church was looted and burned.
In 1824, the restoration works began, building a wooden chapel. Which burned after more than a hundred years, and some of the monks decided to go to other monasteries.
Even though it has undergone many changes, the architecture of the central church remains a classical, Moldavian one. What attracts attention is the balanced proportions, the sobriety of the interior, or the simplicity of the exterior decoration.
Over time, the number of monks increased, and the monastic ensemble was transformed into a monastery. About 20 years ago, the new imposing church was built, the church dedicated to St. Theodora of Sihla.
The liturgical vessels, the library and the church objects have a great cultural-historical value. The library has lost a thousand volumes of books printed in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
A visit to the Sihăstria Monastery is a source of relaxation. Order and simplicity are elements that will pleasantly surprise you.
