Holy Dormition Monastery (Tsiganesti)

The Holy Dormition Monastery is located near the village of Tiganești in the Strășeni district, 35 km from Chisinau . It is one of the oldest monasteries in Moldova, with a rich history, architectural, and spiritual heritage.

History of the foundation

The monastery was founded in 1725 by the boyar Lupu Denca, together with the Rezeshi from the commune of Kobylca (today Codreanca). Initially, a wooden church was built here . The first abbot of the monastery was Hieromonk Samuel .

In 1846, the wooden Church of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which had fallen into disrepair, was replaced by a stone summer church , and in 1868, a winter church in the name of St. Nicholas was built during the abbotship of Gideon.

The period of Soviet repressions

After World War II, the Soviet authorities tried to close the monastery:

The first attempt took place in 1945 under the abbot Joachim Burle, but the monastery survived;
In the 1950s, the monastery still owned 108 hectares of land , two watermills and one windmill, and was home to 180 monks and brothers ;
In 1960, all 165 monks were forcibly deported to an unknown location. Icons and church books were burned under the pretext of transporting them to Hârbovat. Only the icon of the Holy Great Martyr Panteleimon , donated to the monastery in 1909 by Bishop Seraphim, was saved.

The monastery cemetery was destroyed, and the Path of the Mothers , which connected the monastery with the Taber Convent, disappeared. A psychiatric hospital was opened on the monastery grounds : patients were housed in the monastic cells and the winter church, while the summer church was converted into a warehouse.

Restoration of the monastery

In 1992, the monastery was restored again. The buildings of the monastery complex were renovated, and spiritual life was restored.

There are three churches in the monastery:

The Summer Dormition Church is built in the Russian style, with a rectangular plan and modest dimensions. Two Gothic towers rise above the narthex and nave , and the side apses are faintly defined.
The Winter Church of St. Nicholas is a historic 19th-century church in need of restoration;
The third monastery church , dedicated to the icon of the Mother of God “Life-Giving Spring,” was consecrated in 2009. It is located above the spring that gave it its name.

Architecture and attractions

The monastery is distinguished by its blend of Russian, Gothic, and Byzantine styles . The narthex and towers of the summer church give the church a unique appearance, rare among Moldovan monasteries.

A special place is occupied by the monastery library , where ancient books and rare manuscripts are kept.

Recently, the monastery grounds and its surroundings have been included in a national park , making the monastery an important tourist and spiritual attraction for the region.