| GPS | (47.433666229248; 25.959327697754) |
| district | Suceava |
| region | Slatina |
| locality | Slatina |
| address | |
| category | Religious attractions |
| year | 1564 |
| ethnic | Romanians |
Slatina Monastery was built between the years 1553 and 1564 in the village of Slatina, commune of Slatina, county of Suceava, by the prince Alexandru Lăpuşneanu, serving as princely necropolis of Moldavia (1522-1677) and the graves of the prince Alexandru Lăpuşneanu (1552-1561, 1564-1568), of his lady Ruxandra (the daughter of Petru Rareş) and of their two daughters being here. Slatina Monastery is situated 25 kilometres north-west from the Falticeni town, in the woodland of the foothills of Stânişoarei Mountains, on the valley of Suha Mică stream. The name of Slatina Monastery comes from a salty water spring (saline water) situated nearby, but which became dry over time. The history of how the monastery was built looses itself over time. The legends say that a hermit called Pahomie used to live here and he advised the prince Lăpuşneanu to build a monastery on the place where a sycamore used to grow. Until then, the hermit spent his life in a wooden church. The founder of Slatina Monastery is Alexandru Lăpuşneanu, the prince of Moldavia (1552-1561, 1564-1568). The chronicler Eftimie, who became afterwards the bishop of Rădăuţi (1558-1561) wrote a chronicle in slavic language, whose main character was Alexandru Lăpuşneanu. He wrote that the construction of the monastery started in 1553 and ended in the second regime of Lăpuşneanu, in the year 1564. The ruler of the place would have been the hermit Pahomie. He appointed Iacob also called Molodeţ (namely the worthy) as the first prior. In the foundation of Slatina Monastery, next to the Moldavian Prince, the Patriarch Ioasaf of Constantinople also paticipated. The chronicler Grigore Ureche wrote that the sanctification of the church took place on October 14th, 1558 and it was celebrated by the metropolitan Grigorie Roşca. The church was built by the local masters and by those who came from Transylvania. They used many materials from import, being fortified. In November 1561, Alexandru Lăpuşneanu was banished from the throne by the Greek adventurer Ioan Iacob Heraclid (Despot Vodă) who came with foreign army. In the year 1568, as Grigore Ureche says, Alexandru Lăpuşneanu got very ill and asked to become a monk. While in agony, he was accepted to monachism with the name of Pahomie (after the name of the hermit who would have convinced him to build the monastery). After getting better and seeing that he was turned into a monk, Lăpuşneanu threatened that after getting healthy again he will ordain also many others. Knowing that the prince was guilty of a lot of kills, the boyars and his lady Ruxanda poisoned him. He was buried with honour in the church of Slatina Monastery. This fortified monastery suffers losses immediately after the death of its founder. The prince Ioan Vodă the Terrible (1572-1574) plundered the monastery of its treasures using a part of its silvery to mint the coins. Because of his opposition, the prior Iacob Molodeţ was buried alive. During the reign of Vasile Lupu (1634-1653), the church is restored, being built also a new set of cells, as it results from a document from 1641. In the year 1691, the Polish army of the King Ioan Sobieski the IIIrd entered Moldavia. Then, the monastery got robbed and remained a ruin for half a century. The Russian-Turkish wars from the XVIIIth century brought robberies, fires and destruction, and the monastery was devastated. It was only at the beginning of the XIXth century that measures to repopulate the monastery have been taken and the restoration works, which will last until the middle of the century, will be started. But in 1821, the monastery will be used as refuge for the Eterist fighters group led by Iordache Olimpiotul, who was followed by the Turks. The monks have run to the forests, taking with them all the books and treasures they could carry. On this occasion, the monastery will suffer a harsh siege and will be burnt and robbed. Starting with the year 1823 it was restored with the help of the metropolitan Veniamin Costachi and the prelate Filaret Beldiman Apamias, who was the prior of the monastery for a long period of time. After withdrawing from the Metropolitan Chair of Moldavia on January 18, 1842 Veniamin Costachi (1772-1846) settled at Slatina Monastery. The former metropolitan left to the monastery his vestments, books ans his last manuscripts. He died there on December 18th, 1846, being buried outside the church like a simple monk, as he wanted. On December 30, 1886 under order of the metropolitan Iosif Naniescu, the relics of Veniamin Costachi were exhumed and placed in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Iasi, which is his foundation. Situated near the Romania Kingdom and Austro-Hungary (who ruled Bukovina) borders, Slatina Monastery played an important role during the First World War. The young monks went to war as nurses, and the old ones took care of the injured brought from the battlefield. The battles which took place near the monastery ruined the church and the entire monastery settlement. The monastic complex was restored in the year 1932, upon the advice of the metropolitan Pimen Georgescu of Moldavia, from the funds resulting from the expropriation of the mansions the Monastery had in Basarabia. On August 30th, 1949, the archimandrite Cleopa Ilie (1912-1998), who was then the prior of Sihăstria Monastery, was required by the Patriarch Justinian Marina to take 30 monks from Sihăstria Monastery and to go as prior to Slatina Monastery in order to renew the collectivity and the spiritual life of the monastery. The prior Cleopa led Slatina Monastery until 1956, starting a collectivity of monks of over 80 people. At the beginning of 1956, the archimandrite Cleopa withdrew from the position of prior of Slatina Monastery, the protosinghel Emilian Olaru being appointed in his place. Between the years 1955-1960, the church, the cells and the chapel underwent important restoration and repair works. On the former foundation of the building near the southern wall of the enclosure, a new building was built between the years 1955-1958, on the remaining portion up to the south-east tower, the guard road being rebuilt. Based on the 410-1959 Decree, Slatina Monastery was abolished and the monks were cast away. In august 1962, the monastic life started again, but this time with nuns. According to sources, it seams that the writer Mihail Sadoveanu used his influence in order to reopen the monastery. The original painting of the church was made in the XVIth century by unknown painters. The painting was destroyed during the battles of 1821 between the Eterists who found refuge in the monastery and the Turks, when the church was set on fire. The painting was reproduced after the original one by anonymous painters, this time on fresco and in the neo-byzantine style. The writing on the wall situated in the narthex entry states that the repainting of the church ended in 1828. On the western wall on the left of the entry there is the votive picture presenting the entire family of the founder: the prince Alexandru Lăpuşneanu, his wife Ruxandra end their eight children (four boys and four girls). The church had no external painting, being covered with a layer of plaster.
