Dimitrie Cantemir Monastery

If you set off on the Moldavian roads, you can't help but end up in the Elan valley, Dimitrie Cantemir commune, on lands full of history and spirituality. Dimitrie Cantemir Monastery is one of the monastic hearths that carries and maintains the thread of the history of the Romanian nation.

According to the legend of the place, on the edge of Grumezoaia village, near the monastery, there is Tolontan's oak, to which it is said that the ruler Ștefan cel Mare tied his horse. From there he came on foot, through the forest, to the hermitage that became a monastery.

Ruler Ștefan the Great offers this land to one of his soldiers as recognition for acts of exceptional courage, and he builds the first wooden church. Later, in 1692, Ruler Dimitrie Cantemir erected a new wooden church on the site of the previous one, dedicated to the "Entrance to the Church of the Mother of God", which bears his name and continues to exist today.

In the altar of the old "Vovidenia" church there is a carved oak trunk, which is the table of the holy altar. In everything you will find here you will feel the close connection between the church, man and nature!   

The winter chapel is the original church of the monastery, dedicated to the saint "The Entry into the Church of the Mother of God", dating from the 18th century. It is built entirely of wood, having the shape of a ship and small dimensions, and following the works in 2004, it was painted in the al-secco technique.

On the other hand, the main church, dedicated to "Saint Dimitrie the Great Martyr", is newer, having been built between 1997-2001. The construction style is Byzantine, with a number of influences from Moldavian architecture, but the roof is more influenced by the Bucovina style. Inside, the nave is extended, and in the holy altar it can be observed that the apse is in a semicircle.

Dimitrie Cantemir, the founder of the monastery, was born in 1673 and was the ruler of Moldavia twice (March-April 1693 and 1710-1711).

Apart from his duties as ruler, he also made important contributions to culture, being one of the most prominent representatives of Romanian humanism and pre-enlightenment.

Historian, linguist, ethnographer, composer, philosopher and anthropologist, Dimitrie Cantemir was also a member of the Berlin Academy of Sciences. 

There are several places of worship in the area, such as the Gârceni, Fâstâci, Florești, Pârvești and Grăjdeni Monasteries, but also the church in the village of Grumezoaia and the "Holy Apostles Peter and Paul" church of the Diocese of Huşi.

Other tourist attractions that are worth visiting when you arrive through these places are the Tolontan Oak, the Village Museum in Grumezoaia, the Diocesan Museum and the Viticulture Museum in Huși or the Zoo in Bârlad.