Piatra Tăieturii Monastery

Piatra Tăieturii Monastery is an Orthodox monastic establishment located on the western slope of the Piatra Tăieturii Ridge in the Munții Bistriței, at an altitude of approximately 1,700 m, within the administrative area of Panaci commune, Suceava County. By virtue of its position on the ridge, it is among the monastic establishments situated at the highest altitude in Romania. The monastery originally came into being as a skete, founded by hieromonk Iosif Achirilei and consecrated on 8 September 1933, on the feast of the Nativity of the Mother of God, by the Metropolitan of Bukovina, Nectarie Cotlarciuc; the dedication to the Nativity of the Mother of God has been preserved to this day. The founder was killed in 1945 under unexplained circumstances, and monastic life continued until 1959, when, following Decree 410, the skete was abolished and subsequently demolished in 1962. Reconstruction began in 1990, with the foundation of the new church poured on the original site; the tomb of the first founder is incorporated into the nave of the main church. The complex includes, in addition to the main church, a chapel dedicated to the Holy Prophet Elijah the Tishbite, a wayside cross, and the rock at the mountain's summit from which the place takes its name. The monastery is also associated with the memory of Father Ilie Cleopa, who is said to have taken refuge in the surrounding forests during the period of communist persecution. The ridge-top position affords a wide panoramic view over the surrounding massifs, including the Munții Călimani, Rarău, Rodnei, and Ceahlău.