Slatina Monastery

In the valley of the Suha Mică stream, near the enlightened minds of Fălticeni and the childhood memories of Labiș, in a picturesque location, we encounter the beautiful Slatina Monastery, an old voivodal foundation. Traveling this road, the monastery emerges from behind the curtain of the mountains, like a proud medieval castle, whose sparkling domes seem to touch the sky of Bukovina.

Nicolae Iorga said that through the Slatina Monastery, "its founder Alexandru Lăpușneanu wanted to surpass all his ancestors and forefathers", being one of the largest churches in medieval Moldova. The church has the shape of a ship, and its interior in the form of a cross includes the altar, the nave, the narthex, and the porch.

It is impressive for the clarity of its forms, its monumentality, and its silhouette. Viewed as a whole, surrounded by tall walls, in the shape of an irregular trapezoid with powerful towers at the four corners of the wall, it appears as a true fortress.

Between the church and the Princely House, built in the Renaissance style, which today houses the monastery museum, there was a wonderful artesian well, built during the reign of Alexandru Lăpușneanu, whose water source was a nearby spring captured through an ingenious system of pipes.

The monastery was also a center of culture and art, having a library, manuscripts, printed books, and a music school, where young people from Galicia also studied. Skilled embroideries, textiles, miniatures were crafted here, and chronicles were copied. Here, one truly feels part of the ancient European civilization!

Slatina Monastery was erected by voivode Alexandru Lăpușneanu between 1553-1564, and the church was consecrated on October 14, 1558. Here lies the tomb of the founder, of Lady Ruxandra, and their two daughters.

The church's painting is in neo-Byzantine style, in "fresco", and was done in 1828 when the church was renovated and repaired, as the walls of the building suffered significant damage during the Greek-Turkish struggle of 1821.

Also, in the mid-19th century, a Gregorian School for the training of future clergy operated at the monastery.

An important moment in the history of the monastic ensemble is the visit of Queen Maria in 1915, accompanied then by Crown Prince Carol and Princesses Elisabeth and Maria.

Regarding the founding of the monastery, it is said that Alexandru Lăpușneanu set out towards the Suha River to find a suitable place to build the monastery. On the way, somewhere in the middle of the Moldova River, his horse stumbled, and the ruler fell into the water. He then got back on his horse and continued his journey, thinking that all this unpleasant incident happened because of the devil. Once at the desired destination, he decided to raise a holy place, which he endowed with villages and goods (smaller monasteries, subordinated). Legend has it that the ruler was so attached to the monastery that he was received among the monks under the name of Pahomie, passing to the eternal dressed in a monk's mantle.

To complete your pilgrimage in this area, you can also stop at the Sihăstria Râșcăi Monastery, the Râșca Monastery, or the Cămârzani Monastery.

Also, near the Slatina Monastery, in the commune of Mălini, is the Memorial House of the poet Nicolae Labiș, and still within the cultural tourism sphere, in Fălticeni, you can visit the Ion Irimescu Museum, the Waters Museum, as well as the Gallery of Notable People.