Capriana Monastery

Culture · Chișinău and Surroundings

One of the oldest monasteries in Moldova, Capriana rises in the very center of the Codri region. The first written mention of the complex was in a royal decree in 1429 under which King Alexandru cel Bun presented the monastery to his wife, Princess Marena. Another symbol of the monastery’s royal pedigree is a tree known as King Stefan cel Mare's Oak. The original monastery was built of wood. In later centuries, stone was used to create three churches – the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, Sfintul Gheorghe and Sfintul Nicolae. During medieval times the Capriana Monastery was home to Moldova’s largest library. Gifts from royalty were part of the collection, which still exists today. Gavriil Banulescu-Bodoni, the renowned metropolitan of Moldova, Kiev and Bessarabia, is buried on the monastery’s grounds.