The Monastery of Frumoasa
Moldovan Orthodox Church – July 2014
The monastery takes it name after a valley in which it was built – the Beautiful Valley (Frumoasa means beautiful in Romanian).
The settlement was founded in 1804 as a monastery of monks. Its founders, razesh (peasant who should be any time ready to join army in war) Efrem Iurcu of Oniscani village (who later became schemamonk Eftimios), and three hieromonks from Neamt Monastery (in Historical Moldova, nowadays in Romania): Seraphim, Ioanikie, and Macarios.
The first document attesting the Monastery is dated 10th June 1807, when 47 razesh from Bravicea place transferred land into the possession of the monastery.
In the 1860s the future Metropolitan of Moldova, Iosif Naniescu, was novice in the Frumoasa Monastery.
Between the two world wars the monastery was visited by bishop Visarion Puiu, writer Mihail Sadoveanu, Metropolitan Gurie Grosu, and other personalities of the time.
On 28th October 1938 the monastery was reorganized into settlement of nuns, and a school preparing nuns for the Chisinau Sisters of Mercy Institute was created.
In May 1946, the soviet authorities, together with bishop Ieronim of Chisinau, liquidated the monastery that was not able to pay state taxes.
Din 1946 pîna în 1994 în mănăstire au activat:
Between 1946 and 1994 the monastery was used for orphanage, residential school for deaf and numb children, penitentiary for girls, and special school for mentally alienated children.
In September 1994 the Monastery of Frumoasa was reopened as monastery of monks, by Hieromonk Vasile Ciobanu, and on 27th December 2005 it was reorganized into nuns monastery.
Since 2006, the mother superior of the monastery is nun Benedicta Mura.
There are several churches on the territory of the monastery.
The Dormition of the Theotokos Church, built of wood in 1806, and rebuilt of stone in 1850.
During the soviet time the Dormition Church was used for gym. In 1956 it was half-demolished, and covered with tiled roof, transformed into a building with ordinary look. In 1986 the building was destroyed in a fire in a new year party. The reconstruction of the church of the Dormition of the Theotokos started in 2003, with the support of the main ctitor of the settlement, Iurie Stoicov, depute in the Moldovan Parliament.
In 2005, with the support of President Vladimir Voronin, a set of 9 bells were purchased and fitted into the church’s belfry, following the model of old bells.
In 2006, after 50 years of ruins, the crosses were solemnly fitted on the church’s dome. This work was done with the support of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Moldova, namely its chairman, Mr. Gh. Cucu.
The winter Holy Trinity Church (1859-1861)
The winter church’s building was used as local club during soviet time. It was restored in 1996. The building needs significant renovation.
Holy Shrines
An important relic preserved in the Frumoasa Monastery is the icon of the Theotokos (Mother of the Lord) from the iconostas of the first wood church. During the antichristian soviet devastation the icon was hidden in the cell of nun Eupraxia Mosnegutu at the monastery of Raciula.
Among holy shrines of the monastery is a particle of the Holy Cross (donated by Metropolitan John of Portugal and Brazil) and particles of Holy Relics of 37 Saints.
