The Cetățuia Monastery ( ro, Mănăstirea Cetățuia) is a

Romanian Orthodox The Romanian Orthodox Church (ROC; ro, Biserica Ortodoxă Română, ), or Patriarchate of Romania, is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church in full communion with other Eastern Orthodox Christian churches, and one of the nine patriarchates ...

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whi ...

located in Iași,

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

. The monastery is listed in the National Register of Historic Monuments.

History

Located on the top of Cetățuia Hill of the old

Moldavia Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and for ...

n capital, the monastery was built by

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...

Gheorghe Duca in the 17th century. The monastery is surrounded by fortifications with towers on the corners. In the past, it provided refuge during enemy siege or full-scale invasions. The name itself, ''Cetățuia'', means citadel or fortress in

Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language *** Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language ** Romanian cuisine, tradition ...

. The uniqueness of Cetățuia Monastery consists in the fact that the entire ensemble of monastic architecture has been preserved. A special place is the palace destined to the lodging of the prince, a fortified building characteristic to the 17th century and the kitchen or, according to other opinions, the

Turkish bath A hammam ( ar, حمّام, translit=ḥammām, tr, hamam) or Turkish bath is a type of steam bath or a place of public bathing associated with the Islamic world. It is a prominent feature in the culture of the Muslim world and was inherited ...

, which is the only construction of this kind that has been preserved within a monastic ensemble. In addition there is also a gothic hall, a museum of medieval art, a tower called "Pilgrim’s Dinner", from where one can admire the panorama of Iași and its famous wine cellars with wine obtained from its own vineyard.

Gallery

File:Cetatuia Monastery, Iasi.jpg File:Manastirea Cetatuia Iasi 01.JPG File:Mănăstirea Cetăţuia5.jpg File:Mănăstirea Cetăţuia55.jpg File:Mănăstirea Cetăţuia36.jpg File:Mănăstirea Cetăţuia61.jpg File:Mănăstirea Cetăţuia41.jpg File:Mănăstirea Cetăţuia49.jpg File:Mănăstirea Cetăţuia14.jpg File:Manastirea Cetatuia 0005.JPG File:Manastirea Cetatuia 0006.JPG File:Manastirea Cetatuia 0004.JPG File:Manastirea Cetatuia 0003.JPG File:Manastirea Cetatuia 0002.JPG File:Manastirea Cetatuia 0007.JPG File:Mănăstirea Cetăţuia53.jpg File:Manastirea Cetatuia Iasi - noaptea.JPG

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cetatuia Monastery Historic monuments in Iași County Romanian Orthodox churches in Iași Romanian Orthodox monasteries of Iași County Christian monasteries established in the 17th century