Curchi Monastery

Curchi Monastery is one of Moldova's main attractions and a 17th-century architectural monument. The monastery stands on picturesque wooded hills and occupies two terraces: the upper one holds the monastery proper and its outbuildings, while the lower one has a stone pool-pond. The architectural ensemble includes two churches, nine different buildings, among them monks' cells, a large garden and a stone pool.

There are several legends about the monastery's founding. According to one of them, the founder of the monastic community was Iordache Curu, a resident of the nearby village of Morozeni. In 1773 he took monastic vows under the name Ioan and, on his own land, built a wooden church in honour of the Great Martyr St. Demetrius in the Neo-Byzantine style. Iordache Curu later became the cloister's first abbot, and his closest relatives also contributed a great deal to its development.

At that time the monastic complex was surrounded by a high stone wall with towers at the corners. In 1808-1810 a stone Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God with a tall bell tower was built on its grounds, in the Classicist style with Baroque elements. In 1868 the skete was turned into a monastery, and this year is considered the official founding date of the church. In 1884 a winter stone church was built next to the abbot's quarters. A third church in the Byzantine style was also planned, but it was never completed.

In 1958 Curchi Monastery was closed and its premises were handed over to a drug-treatment and psychiatric hospital, which remained here until 2002. In all that time the church was never repaired, so all the buildings fell into serious disrepair, and the beautiful interior paintings vanished without a trace.

In the early 2000s the UN took the monastery under its patronage, and with this organisation's funds restoration work began, which continues to this day.