The largest nunnery in Romania is in the village of Văratec in the commune of Agapia. It was founded in 1785, and for a time it was under the guidance of the Agapia Monastery. At the Văratec Monastery lived personalities of the Romanian culture, among which Veronica Micle, who is also buried here, the archimandrite Bartolomeu Anania or the academician Zoe Dumitrescu-Bușulenga.
The place of worship had an important development in the 19th century, when it became an independent monastery. Then the stone walls of the monastery, the cells, the bell tower with the chapel were built, the interior picture was rebuilt, the church of the Transfiguration was built, the church of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist was rebuilt from stone.
Safta Brâncoveanu also donated a large part of the monastery’s fortune. Its importance in the development of the place of worship is demonstrated by the statue that was erected in the courtyard.
The monastery was a factor in the development and education of the community. Over time, several schools have operated here.
The Văratec Monastery has an important collection of objects with historical, artistic and spiritual value, all located in the Museum of Medieval and Religious Art. The collection exhibited at Văratec contains the oldest icons painted on wood, handmade rugs by the nuns living here, embroideries, or manuscripts.
In the monastery’s workshop, founded in 1934, the nuns do handmade church embroidery, carpets and national fabrics, icons of rare beauty.
The monastery ensemble impresses with its architecture, and the attention that the nuns pay to the small details, make the moments spent here fill your soul with energy and peace, at the same time.
If you arrive here, you will immediately enjoy pastries prepared with love by nuns in the bakery from Văratec. Also, the nuns here prepare natural jams and syrups, according to traditional recipes known only to them.
