A monastery made of wood
I visited this monastery with my students on May 15th. The oldest monastery was recorded in writing by Deacon Paul of Aleppo who accompanied the Patriarch Macarius of Antioch in journeys through Romanian lands between 1653 and 1658. He said that a monk had found an icon of Virgin Mary in a secular hollow oak. At that moment, he heard a voice that urged him to build a monastery in the trunk of that tree. He built the monastery in this very place, in this oak presumably in the mid XVIth century. The church is with wooden beams made of thick closed in dovetail. Its shape is rectangular with a decorated altar apse. Its total length is of 13 meters, it is 5.50 meters wide. and it is about 4 meters high. It is surrounded on the outside by a waist molding carved in wood, with an open porch without a tower.
I was not allowed to take photos inside but I took some outside and I made a slideshow. We hope you will like it.
Congratulations, Marinela and to your students too. You made an interesting visit to this monastery I am sure and I can’t wait for your account of the day. I am impressed by these old oak trees! They must be very wide!The monastery looks quite large too. This monastery and the church don’t look like anything we have here. It’s a very special place in Romania. There are nuns and monks too? or only one or the other?
I can’t but admire the wooden entrance gate which is carved so beautifully.
Congratulations for the team and the teacher of Orastie Romania. I confess that I know almost nothing about your country and every post of yours is a new challenge for me. This Monastery looks amazing! The entrance, the building, the church, all those things are unique! And what a green Nature! Great!
Thank you so much!
Great post. I have visited quite a lot of Romanian monasteries some time ago and have always been impressed.The woodcraft is exceptional and you are known as masters in this domain. I am glad younger generations are shown what their ancestors have done. Keep at it Marinela. Transmitting is our job, isn’t it? You are doing a great job!It makes me nostalgic of your lovely country. The photos don’t show how nice people are in the area.