The Monastery “The Holy Great-martyr Jacob the Persian”

22:05, Tuesday, 11 February, 2014 | 2334 Views |

Sireţi village, Străşeni rayon, Moldova, MD-3731

Phone: (+373)-237-71705

How to get here: There is a bus station on Calea Ieşilor street, in Chişinău, next to agro-food market. The buses circulates between 6:00 AM and 21:00 PM, every 30 minutes

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In the heart of the Bessarabia, at 16 km far from Chişinău, as an opened eye of sky in the middle of the green fields, the Monastery of Saint Jacob the Persian the Great Martyr, a contemporaneous monastic foundation that is desired not to put to shame the tradition, but to continue it creatively.

Sireţi village, where the monastery is located, is in Străşeni district, a village with old tarditions that deepens its roots into the darkness of the times up to Saint Voivode Stephen the Great, whose soldiers came from Vrancea Mountains and from the valley of Siret River in order to be closer to the border that was being threatened and tread by the heathen hordes.

On 10th September, 1998, those three monks and servants of the Church of Saint Hierarch Nicholas, protosingel Porfirie, hieromonk Teodor, and hierodeacon Natanael, sanctified the place for the church, but on 24th May, 1999, the groundwork was set for the Church of Saint Jacob the Persian the Great Martyr, the church that was consecrated one year later, on 29th October, 2000.

To this community, Protohiereus Mihail Cazacu joined, having a fervor and godliness similar to those of niptic fathers of eastern church, of great benefactors and founders of monastic centers, he sanctified the place of the big church with patron day of “Annunciation” and “Saint John Jacob from Hozeva from Neamţ”, on 15thSeptember, 2004.

On 22th March, 2005, construction works for the big church started, which were finished in September, 2006, wholly on expenditures of father Mihail Cazacu. Sireţi Monastery owns a rich invaluable spiritual treasure, and namely important parts of relics of many saints, and namely:

The Holy Apostle Zacchaeus 20th April/ 3rd May
The Holy Hierarch Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea from Cappadocia 1st/ 14th January
The Holy Hierarch Nicholas Archbishop of Myra in Lycia 6th/ 19th December
The Holy Hierarch Ambrose bishop of Milan 7th/ 20th December
St. Porphyrius Archbishop of Gaza 26th/ 11th March
The Holy Hierarch Gelasius of Rimet 30th June/ 13th July
St. Jacob the Persian 27th November/ 10th December
St. George the Trophy-bearer 23rd April/ 6th May
The Holy Great-martyr Mercurius 24th November/ 7th December
The Holy Great-martyr Theodor Tyro 17th February/ 2nd March
The Holy Martyrs Zoticos, Atalos, Filipos, and Camasis 4th/ 7th June
The 14,000 Holy Infants slain by Herod 29th December/ 11th January
The Holy Righteous Fathers slain at Sinai and Raith 14th/ 17th January
The Holy Righteous Fathers massacred by Arabs in St. Sava’s Monastery 20th March/ 2nd April
The Holy Righteous Fathers slain by Persians at Hozeva
The Holy Righteous Martyrs Efthimios, Ignatius, and Acacius 1st/ 14th May
The 40 Holy Martyrs from Sevastia 9th/ 22nd March
The Holy Father Antipas the Athonite 10th/ 23rd January
The Holy Righteous John Jacob from Hozeva 5th/ 18 August
The Holy Righteous Symeon the New Theologian 12th/ 25th March
The Holy Righteous Stylianos of Paphlagonia 26th/ 9th December
The Holy Righteous Seraphim of Sarov 2nd/ 15th January
The Holy Righteous Moses the Hungarian 26th July/ 8th August
The Holy Righteous Silouan the Athonite 24th September/ 7th October
The Holy Righteous Onuphrius from Vorona Hermitage 9th/ 22nd September
The Holy Righteous Theoctistus 3rd/16th September
The Holy Martyr Kiriaki 7th/ 20th July
The Holy Righteous Kuksha of Odessa
A small piece of the The Holy Cross wood.
All these Holy relics are exposed for worshiping in the church of St. Jacob the Persian.

The Saint patrons of churches of Sireţi Monastery.

Among many great celebrations of monastery, a special one is on 27th November/ 10th December, when The Orthodox Church celebrates St. Jacob the Persian the Great Martyr, which is the protector of the monastery and whose relics are preserved here, shedding gifts of spiritual and bodily healing.

St. Jacob the Persian the Great Martyr is known as being deliverer of spiritual and bodily passions.

The second patron day is the Annunciation that is celebrated on 25th March/ 7th April, All-holy Birth-giver to God being the protector of monks.

The third patron day is the celebration of Our Venerable Father John Jacob from Hozeva on 5th/ 18th August.