Războieni Monastery

Each church has its own legend and history, however, the "The Holy Voivodes" Church of the Războieni monastery transcends the centuries, discreetly and humbly, being a precious testimony of courage, faith and resistance in difficult times in the history of Moldova.

In fact, this place takes its name from the wars waged by Stephen the Great for the defense of Christianity.

This is how the story of the Razboieni Monastery and its beautiful church begins. Twenty years after the battle of Războieni - Valea Albă, on the place where he tried to stop the devastating wave of the Turkish armies, Stephen the Great erected one of the most valuable and interesting historical and religious monuments.

The purpose of housing the bones of the soldiers who fell in the battle of the summer of 1476 distinguishes the church from any other foundation of the ruler. Those bones are found along a length of approximately 10 meters, from the nave to the altar, under the stone slabs.

Today, within the monastery, there are tailoring workshops that keep the tradition of these places alive.

For the meeting between the past and the present, it is worth visiting this monastery!

It all started in the winter of 1475, when Stephen the Great defeated the Ottoman army at Vaslui. Sultan Mahomed II sent a new army to Moldova in 1476, and Stephen the Great, although he had a much smaller army, managed to cause great losses to the Ottoman army, including blocking their means of supply. The battle camp was established on a high plateau, in the valley of the Alb stream, a place called Războieni since then. Here, on July 26, 1476, overwhelmed by the number of enemies, the ruler of Moldova was forced to retreat. It is said that the entire battlefield was covered with the bones of the soldiers, which is where the name Valea Albă came from.

In order to shelter and guard the bones of these fallen warriors, Stephen the Great built here the "Holy Voivodes" Church, which functioned as a parish church until 1734, when the Războieni Monastery was established, with a community of monks. Then, at the beginning of the 19th century, it was transformed into a nunnery. 

The church is part of the category of Stefan churches. It is built in a rectangular plan, has no towers and harmoniously combines the Gothic and Moldavian styles. It is the only church-mausoleum in the country and in Southeast Europe. The walls of the sanctuary are supported by two buttresses at the end point of the apse with the walls of the nave and by a foot of buttress under the altar window. Also, under the cornice you can see two rows of pits, and along the edifice we find a decoration of glazed bricks and polychrome discs with buttons.

Built of carved stone, with walls over a meter thick, the elegant monastic complex reminds us at every step of the brave soldiers who lost their lives here.

The interior of the edifice is traditionally divided into the pronaos, naos and altar, and between the pronaos and the naos there is a dividing wall, framing a door decorated with the Gothic motif of crossed batons. 

 And because you have reached the lands of Moldova, you must know that there are many other tourist attractions in the area.

Continue the journey to the Neamț Monastery, dating from 1407, to the Văratec Monastery and to the Agapia Monastery.

Nearby is the Ancuței Inn, a well-known tourist inn since the 18th century.

You can also make a detour to visit the town of Piatra Neamț where there is another foundation of the good-faith voivode Ștefan the Great and the Holy - the Church of St. John the Prince built in that style, next to the Tower of Ștefan the Great, or the town of Târgu Neamț, where Neamt Citadel is located.

Hikers and nature lovers will also be delighted by this area, having the opportunity to discover the Cheile Bicazului National Park - Hăşmaş, the Bicaz Dam and Lake, the Ceahlău Massif, as well as the "Dragoş Vodă" Carpathian Bison and Fauna Reserve.