A unique story, in which legend intertwines with history, is waiting to be discovered at the church of the Annunciation of Bisericani Monastery.
How did it happen? Pious Joseph from Bistrita went to worship at the Holy Sepulcher and became a hermit in the Jordan desert. It seems that fifteen more Romanian and Greek monks gathered around him, all of them living in prayer in the caves of the Jordan Valley.
However, after the Arab invasion of the Holy Land, Pious Joseph and his disciples returned, living in stone caves or hovels in the Neamț mountains.
When their number became too great, in 1492, Pious Joseph erected a wooden church near the cave. It was only during the reign of Ştefăniță Vodă that the monks from Bisericani managed to build a permanent stone monastery in 1512. If you have ever wondered how a monastic monastery was founded, you must go to the Bisericani Monastery and you will surely find out!
The story of the place
The legend says that, after the church was burned and looted by the Tatars in 1498, Pious Joseph and his disciples wanted to go to the Holy Mount Athos, also called the Garden of the Mother of God. On leaving, however, they were faced with a miraculous event: the Holy Virgin Mary appeared in an oak tree, telling them that there is also the Garden of the Mother of God.
Therefore, Pious Joseph and his disciples decided to stay and complete the construction of a church at Bisericani. The event was painted in the year 1517, in the voivodeship church on the iconostasis of the Mother of God, and in that oak, the Pious Joseph placed an icon of the Mother of God, which is still called "La Sfânta Iconiță".
Architectural features
The entrance to the church is through a portal located on the south side of the church. It is made of carved stone with the motif of crossed wands, also found on the stone border of the massive bell tower.
Outside, on the southern wall of the edifice, there is a stone sundial. Also, the apse of the altar has a pentagonal shape and has two large windows that replace the usual window in the axis.
In the naos we find two windows on the north and south facades, specific for the 18th century, and on the western one are the doors of the stairs that lead to the tower, but also to the crypt under the roof. The latter is a hidden room, used to store the church treasure, which in the past was also used to hide and protect the persecuted.
Unique experiences
Near the Bisericani Monastery is the city of Piatra Neamț, which we recommend you visit, and if you arrive here in May, you will be able to take part in the "Lada cu zestre" Folk Art Festival, organized annually, right in the center of the city.
In addition, for hiking enthusiasts, the area offers a number of natural attractions, such as Bicazului Gorge - Hăşmaş National Park, Izvorul Muntelui Lake and Bistriței Valley.
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