The way to Saharna Monastery

Saharna Monastery is situated in the district of town Rezina.It was made in 1495. The monastic complex is a natural reservation; it encompasses 670 ha and is under the government protection. Initially the monastic complex embodied a small hermitage — Horodiste and a small temple spaded in rock stone celebrating the Annunciation festival. In 1776, monk Vortolomeu Crungul along with other monks came from Russia and settled the complex. They repaired the temple and its cells. In 1863, at the times of abbot Serafim another temple for winter orations and a series of cells were built. It celebrates Holy Virgin Mother of God Bearing festival. During the period of 1776 — 1919 the monastic complex was guided by 24 abbots.

Saharna Monastery was closed in 1964 and all monks were given chase. It had been used as a store-house for a boarding school. The Holy Trinity temple has been used as a hospital deposit, the temple for winter orations served as a place for dancing parties. Thus it functioned until 1990 when at the request of local citizens, monastery was reopened. In 1992, all monastery cells including refectory, canteen and the priorship were overhauled. One of the first monks of the reopened monastery was hieromonk Neonil. In 1944, the priest came from Rudi Monastery (Romania), taking refuge at the Saharna Monastery.

The Saharna Monastery is of medium size, its hermitage does not have any architectural significance, but it posses an indisputable historical value. Recently it has been renovated and new frescoes were painted.The hermitage temple comprises an altar spaded in rock stone, separated from the rectangular nave by a small iconostas. Some cells continue the building suite. Because the frontage monastery wall was built from rock stone, the current wall was made from stone blocks. The hermitage temple, built in 1776 celebrated the Assumption festival; its founder was Bartolomeu. The monastery size comprises 17m X 5m. A long terrace holds together all the component parts of the hermitage thus forming a prolonged complex. The Assumption temple takes a quadrilateral shape of 5, 3 m length, 4, 1m latitude and 2, 5 altitudes. The rock monastery was restored in 1991 — 1994. Those four monastery cells located at the temple were renovated in 1997. There is a narrow cave about the monastery. According to a legend, hieromonk Vortolomeu — the monastery founder, took refuge in the stone cave.

Today it is a very beutiful and a very interesting place, which every day is visited by a lot of tourists from different countries.