Dobrovăț Monastery

Dobrovăț Monastery is an Orthodox monastic complex located in Dobrovăț commune, Iași County, about 25 km south-east of Iași and 35 km north of Vaslui, near the border with Vaslui County. The complex was founded by ruler Ștefan cel Mare in 1503, during the final years of his reign, making it one of his last foundations. The main church, dedicated to the Descent of the Holy Spirit, was built in the medieval Moldavian style, combining Gothic architectural elements with Byzantine influences characteristic of the age of Ștefan cel Mare. The church has no towers and has a burial chamber between the narthex and the nave. In 1607 Simion Movilă built the St George chapel in the precinct, rebuilt in 1990-1992 after it collapsed in the 1986 earthquake. In 1651 Vasile Lupu dedicated the monastery to Zografou Monastery on Mount Athos. After the 1863 secularisation the buildings housed a prison, an orphanage and an agricultural school; the church was restored in 1930-1936 and 1974-1976. The inscriptions and stone decorative elements on the church façades constitute significant artistic and historical documents for the understanding of medieval Moldavian architecture. Monastic life resumed in 1990 with a community of nuns; since 1992 it has been a monastery for monks. It is reached on county road DJ247, which leaves DN24 at Schitu Duca. The ensemble (the church, the 1607 St George chapel, the 1743 bell tower and the precinct wall) is a category A historic monument, LMI code IS-II-a-A-04150.