Sziklakolostorok a Dnyeszter mentén. Útirajz Moldova kolostorairól - Rocky Monasteries along the Dniester

Abstract

I would like to invite you to a short trip to a mysterious country, to the land of historical Bessarabia which is called Moldova today. We are going to visit the country’s most famous monasteries located along the Dniester. This is the land of rocky monasteries. Monks have been living here since the 12–13th centuries (according to Russian Ortodox Literature, they are called „Fathers” so this is the reason why I did not use the word „monakh”), from the earliest time they lived in small cells between the river rocks. The first monastic communities grew rapidly, most of them prospered under Stephen, the Great. In critical periods of the country’s history, especially in the Mongol-Osman era they preserved the Christian culture. The territory of Moldova was liberated by the Russian Imperial Army. In the Russian Empire, the monasteries prospered again. New churches were built in the 19th-century Russian style, so the old cells became architectural memories. Nowadays, the monasteries are not only historical, but natural monuments as well. Beautiful waterfalls, rocks and forests welcome the visitors in the picturesque valleys. I hope my abstract has drawn attention to this unforgettable landscape.

Keywords

• Rocky Monasteries
• Dniester