Hirjauca Monastery is located on coast of a small river with the same name, at the lap of a hill with century oaks, near Calarasi region. The architecture of the monastery is very interesting and original, to the gate goes an alley of pyramidal poplars and the monastery is arranged in the form of horseshoe.

According to researcher P. Crusevan, the monastery was funded in 1740. Forest around the monastery served as hiding for citizens who were in funk of Tatars. An old man, whose name was Teodosie built a house in the forest, which became a place for prayers. After conflict was clarified, hieromonk Varsonufie came to these places and with the support of a noble man Miculita, built some cells and replaced the house of prayers with a wooden temple.

According to another source Hirjauca Monastery was funded in 1750 by a monk – Inochentie Sava from Calarasi town. It was said that monk and his uncle endowed monastery the lordship Sipoteni.

From 1846, the monastery became a bishopy. First monastery Superior was archbishop Irinarh of Chisinau city with dummies: priests Pantelemon and Ilarion. Under their guidance a lot of changes and renovations were achieved.

In 1917, during the revolution, Russian soldiers demolished drastically the monastic complex.

Since 1918, when the Bessarabia territory was emancipated and joined with Romania, monastic life was improved significantly. Archbishop Nicodin of Husi effectively participated in the development of the monastery. Monastic library was extended with his help; books from Iasi were brought to the library. But in 1962, at the urgency of a group of atheists, the monastery was closed. Since then, monastic complex was functioning as a sanatorium under “Codru” denomination.

In 1981, at the initiative of the sanatorium administration, mainly at the initiative of Gheorghe Osoianu and of the ministry of Culture, the restoration of the monastery continued. The old fresco was found under the strata of paint in the monastery interior. It was drown in a classic style by famous painters as: Blinov, Stoianov and Lemaic during the period of 1901 – 1906. Painters as: Vasile Negruti, Serafim Prodan, Alexandru Ivanov and Elena Grigorasenco restored the old fresco for eight years.

In 1993, local husbandry provided the monastery with 2 ha of arable land, though later in 1995 it offered the monastery 10 ha of land. In 1994, on the territory of the monastery were already living 10 people.

In autumn 1994, the God Ascension temple was hallowed. Architecturally the temple has a semblance with the metropolitan Chair from Chisinau city, which was built in the same period.

Hardly in 1998, the priorship building was liberated; it was restored and hallowed in summer the same year. The refectory and one stair building were restored too.

Translated from Romanian by Felicia Lupasco, Moldova.ORG

www.moldova.org