Teodoreni Monastery

The Teodoreni Monastery, founded in 1597 by the postelnic Teodor Movilă, is considered the "younger sister" of the Sucevița Monastery, bearing the historical and architectural significance of the Movilești, a family of rulers.

The architectural plan of the church, made by Constantin Batiște, follows the tradition of the Moldavian architectural style, with a distinctive trilobed shape, representing the altar, naos and pronaos. Thick quarried stone walls have contributed to resistance to the vicissitudes of time.

The church, surrounded by a vaulted porch and decorated with pits, presents an authentic Moldavian style, with Gothic influences in the window frames. The floor, made of oak parquet offered by Empress Catherine II of Russia in 1785, still retains elements from that period. Important pieces of inventory, such as the old tapestry, the icons, the cantoral pew from 1597 and liturgical books from the 17th-18th centuries, complete the heritage of the monastery.

Inside the church, on the wall on the right, immediately after the entrance, there is an old votive painting of the founders, containing the life-size portraits of Teodor Movilă, the founder of the church, and next to him Miron Costin, a great scholar of the times, holding in the left hand a miniature of the holy place. The scene captures an interesting detail: the church is rendered in its older form, without a porch, reflecting the architectural evolution of the place over time. This element adds not only artistic value, but also important information regarding the transformations the church went through.

Tradition states that on the right side of the pronaos, under a stone slab, is the eternal resting place of the founder, Teodor Movilă. This mention adds a note of solemnity and reverence, emphasizing the close connection between the founder and this holy place.

The story of the place

The church, devoid of pisanie, keeps an empty place intended for it. However, on the buttress of the altar, under a slab, is the inscription "KOS 1597 BT", still undeciphered. Thus, the enigma of the inscription adds mystery to the church's history, suggesting possible connections to people and events from its tumultuous past.

The legend speaks of a secret entrance of the Teodoreni monastery, a hidden underground tunnel, supposed to have been a means of passage under the southern wall. This tunnel had its origin in a reinforced construction in the courtyard of the monastery, ruined over time. In the years 1957-58, a ruined tower called Hulubăria, with a collapsed roof, could still be seen in place of this construction. It is assumed that this tower had at least two levels and was used for storage. Next to it, a hole in the ground revealed the beginning of a tunnel or cellar that led outwards and which legend says was used even by Ștefan-Vodă's men.