| GPS | (47.697956085205; 25.825382232666) |
| district | Suceava |
| region | Solca |
| locality | Solca |
| address | |
| category | Religious attractions |
| year | 1614 |
| ethnic | Romanians |
Solca locality is bought by the Moldavia voivode Ştefan Tomşa the IInd (1611-1615, 1621-1623) at the beginning of the XVIIth century. He builds here a princely monks' monastery. It is not clear when this building was started, but some works say that it was in 1612. But it is clearly known that the church was ready on October 18, 1614 when the founder requested the first donation in the villages, stating that this church is dedicated firstly to the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. According to chronicles, Tomșa Vodă is not able to finish the entire complex until the end of his first rule. In his second rule (1621-1623), the surrounding walls are built, with the four supporting towers in each corner, the abbacy and the monks` cells. According to Miron Costin chronicle, Solca Monastery is completed in the year 1622. The prior of Solca Monastery was the scholar Vartolomei Măzăreanul (1710 - 1779) and he wrote and translated several religious books and composed in 1773 a chronicle of Moldavia, a literary patchwork based on the chronicles of Grigore Ureche, Miron Costin and Ion Neculce. In 1775, together with the rest of Bukovina, Solca passes under the rule of Habsburg Empire. As a result, the small Bukovinean settlement harbours numerous families of Germans, Polish and Jews. On April 29, 1785 Solca Monastery, which was used as monks` place, is closed by the Austro-Hungarian authorities, and the church of the monastery becomes a parish church. In 1902, the initial shape of the inner church is modified to a certain extent, through the restoration works made by the Austrian architect Karl Romstorfer. Today, aside the inner church (36meters high), the monastery complex also includes ruins of cells, cellars, the tower-bell, the inside wall with fortifications and towers.
