Pângăraţi Monastery Bicaz

Pângăraţi Monastery is situated in Neamţ county, in a fairy land, being surrounded by conifers and deciduous forests, on the left bank of Pângăraţi river, about 13 km far from Piatra-Neamţ , following DN15 (Piatra-Neamţ - Bicaz) on the right, the road is asphalted and passes in front of Hidroelectric station of Stejaru.

The monastery’ s name comes from the name of a hermit called Pângăraţie who lived during the XVth century’s years near the river to which he gave his name.

The real-faithful voivod Stephan the Great, finding out about the pious man’s needs and about the fact that that one did not have a church to pray in with his apprentices, He gave him money and help in 1461 to build a wooden church, with its dedication day of The Great and Saint Martyr Dimitrie, the Chrism Riser. In 1476 the Turkish invaded Moldavia and the monks left their places across the mountains. Pângăraţi Monastery was called Simeon’ Hermitage, until 1508.

The church of Pângăraţi Monastery was built in 1560 by Alexandru Lăpuşneanu (1562-1561; 1564-1568), who built the Tower bell and gave possessions to the monastery. The next important moment to the development of the buildings around Mânăstirea Pângăraţi was during the reign of the voivod Vasile Lupu (1634-1653), when, in 1624, were made important improvements that renovated the church. The present shape of the monastery is dued to the hard activity of Abbot Archimandrite Varnava (1833-1859), who founded the village and named it Pângăraţi, as the name of the monastery.

In 1872, at the request of The Minstry of the Interior a penitantiary was founded in the monastery’s buildings. During the prison’s functioning, the porch was built by the prisoners, on the northern side of the church monument.

Beginning with 1960, Pângăraţi Monastery was given to the Biologic and Geographic Researches Resort of Stejaru. Then, the Monastery’ s archives and four big sacks of Cyrillic books were given to the Metropolitan Church. At the decission of The Saint Synod of the Orthodox Romanian Church of 23rd of May 1991, Pângăraţi Monastery was founded as a monks monastery.

The modernizing works begun on the 1st of June 1996 revealed the lovely combination of the three centuries: the XVth, the XVIIth, and the XXIst – and the building of the new church with a new yard and access alley. The church has an unique architecture of all the other monastries in Moldavia, because two overlapped churches are included in the same building. The way in which the builder managed to build the monastery, led to one unique element that gives to the exterior part of the church a special dimension, in contrast with its own modest setting.

is one of the most important touristic objectives on the map of Neamţ county.