Hadambu Monastery

Hadambu Monastery was dated in the second half of the XVII-th century, in 1659. It is an old founding of a Greek boyar named Iani Hadambu. He recieved a few land properties from the voivode of that time, Gheorghe Ghica, among which there also was the property on which the monastery is situated. The boyar Iani Hadambu receives this property with the purpose to renew an old wooden church from the XV-th century dedicated to Saint Hierarch Nicholas.

The church and its walls are constructed of quarry stone having the form of a fortress, because of that hard times when Turks and Tartars were rushing at the monastery plundering them.

The votive stone written in stone on old Slavonic language is situated above the entrance door in the church. It says: “With Father’s will, Son’s help and Holy Spirit’s ending, Inami Hadambu renewed and found this monastery in the forest of Iasi on the Mare hill, and dedicated to the Theotokos in the days of Io Ghiorghe Ghica Voivode, in 7169 (1659), September the 8-th.”

In time here passed many generations of Greek monks. They lived here until Alexandru Ioan Cuza’s time, when it was emitted the law of the secularization of the monasteries fortunes (1859-1860). As a result of this law, the Greek monks were obliged to leave the monastery.

In these conditions the monastery remains abandoned until 1937, when the first Romanian monks arrive here, guided by the Hieromonk Iov Mazilu. They repaired the roof and the vault of the church and consolidated a part of the church walls with brick, which it can be seen today too.

Neither the Romanian monks lived here for too long because in 1960, as the result of a decree, are chased away from the monastery. Thus, the Hadambu Monastery remains abandoned again for another 30 years, until 1990 when the ensemble was reactivated with the blessing of His Eminence Daniel, Metropolitan of Moldavia and Bukovina.

Source: Tourist board at the site