Wooden Church of the Entry of the Mother of God into the Church – Mănăstioara

The church, presumed to date back to the year 1760, is situated on a hill near the village of Mănăstioara in Suceava. This is the place where it is said that the father of Stephen the Great was cold-bloodedly killed by Petru Aron. To reach it, you have to climb a path through the Plăvălari forest, a journey that offers you time for meditation and humility - you cannot help but think of the path of Golgotha.

You will immediately notice the double-eaved metal roof, influenced by the area of Ukraine and the northern Carpathians.

Legend has it that after the decapitation of his father, Stephen the Great, frightened, fled into a nearby forest where he took refuge in the hollow of an oak tree, managing to escape his father's executioners. Later, as a ruler, to thank God, Stephen the Great built the church of Mănăstioara from the wood of the oak tree where he had taken refuge.

Brief historical insight

The year in which the church was built is unknown because there are no other sources or records besides the traditions passed down from generation to generation that validate the age of the construction and the fact that Stephen the Great is truly the founder of the church. The existence of a place of worship is most often mentioned under the name "Mănăstioara."

It is believed that after the annexation of Bukovina to the Habsburg Empire in 1774, the monks from this hermitage sought refuge in the Moldavian territory not occupied by the Austrians, more precisely in the village of Preutești, where they founded a new monastery, this time the place receiving the name Mănăstioara.

The initial dimensions, the number of rooms, and the materials used are specified in an old document made before the rehabilitation of the place of worship, which also attests to the fact that the iconostasis had only two doors and six rows of icons. The year 1848 was one full of changes for the church complex, the building being extended to the west. A new porch, as well as a new bell tower, were built.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the church was lined for protection both inside and out with fir boards, which were later replaced in 1974.

Invaluable treasures

The inscription on the icon of the Savior - "1775 (1776) Antonii Zograf," as well as the one found inside the church, on an old Antimis - "God and Saint Altar: to perform upon it the divine holy services, consecrated by the most holy Metropolitan of all Moldavia Chir Gavril in the name of all saints, 1762" lead specialists to hypothesize that the building was constructed in the early 18th century, precisely in the year 1760.

Though you hide from no one, here you will feel protected!