Bistrita Monastery, Valea Oltului

Bistrita Monastery - details and images

Bistrita Monastery founded by noblemen Craiovesti dating from around 1490. But the first document of the monastery are preserved in the "decree of donation" dated 16 March 1494 Vlad Voda monk belonging.

Bistrita Monastery was destroyed to its foundations by Mihnea Voda 1509. A contemporary document mentions that Mihnea Voda Craioveşti fighting, "and their monastery, which they had done evil pre Bistritii have vanished from the foundation." It was rebuilt during Neagoe between 1515 - 1519 by noblemen throughout Craiovesti. The foundation is still preserved today Craioveşti infirmary church (1520-1521). With an impressive interior fresco of late Paleologue tradition begins to penetrate the Balkans used by iconographers Cretan artwork, the church is dedicated to "Change the face."

Big money brings Oltenia Barbu Craiovescu of Constantinople the most precious treasure of the shrine of the relics of Saint Gregory Decapolite. Holy body has never rotted and turned bearing great gifts: cure bodily and spiritual diseases, bring rain during drought, thus making the shrine to be assaulted by many pilgrims. Legend says that the holy relics were bought from a Turkish Croiovescu Barbu gold. Turk suspected that it will take a significant amount equivalent to the weight of relics. But the love of money has relics from another pitfall: put on a plate, indeed weigh heavily, but when money is poised pan Craiovescu yellows make a pittance. This makes the Turk to exclaim: "See, see how the Christian Close Christian." It is also known as 1763 when the plague engulfed Bucharest, is brought the coffin with the relics of Saint Gregory in front of the Metropolitan Decapolite and prayers held after the plague began to give back and disappeared forever. Prince Constantine in 1656, donated a silver shrine in the holy relics to be placed.

In 1683 Constantin Brancoveanu Monastery donate a bell, a priceless object that weighs 800 kg, an ostrich egg decorated with chandeliers, made in Vienna and miracle working icon of St. Anna.

After the earthquake of 1810, the place is seriously affected, it makes during the reign of Gheorghe Barbu Stirbei Bibescu and, between 1846-1855 the monastery to be rebuilt. Painting new church, built in Gothic style, was executed by George Tattarescu in 1850, a monumental painting with realistic large registries. On the walls are painted founders: Craiovescu Barbu, Constantin Brancoveanu, Mary Mrs., and Ms. Despina Stirbei Barbu.

Mr. Future Neagoe Craioveşti nephew was among the first arrivals to get "the youth's knowledge of language and literature." It seems like this would have been the first book printed in Romanian, "Liturgy" (Conformity of Prince Mihnea's decree appeared on 10 November 1508). Since the seventeenth century there is another school, attested by a manuscript grammar of Constantine village Corbeasa-Valcea, "to know that I sat at the Bistrita Monastery to learn book." Here along the time were transcribed numerous books and charters, and one of the oldest Romanian documents dating from 1573, actually the second letter after Neacsu of Campulung, was also drawn to this place.

Later, in 1620 Mihail Moxa says here "the first universal history" of our lands titled "Chronograph Romanian Country." The manuscript is discovered in the monastery in 1845 by a Russian philologist, V Grigorovici, who had published the boiler in 1859. The manuscript is currently in Moscow. Its importance lies in the fact that after beginning the author treats the general problem of history "universal" in the end to get that talk about "when he began to dismount country Moldova. Talk among others Stefan cel Mare battle of Nicopolis on that part and "the prince Mircea rumanii.

For his work performance Mihail Moxa uses the important documents of the era: the Chronicle of Manasses, chronograph short Byzantine glory Chronicle Serbian, Bulgarian anonymous Chronicle. A book about the life of Saint Gregory is written by Matthew Decapolite of Myra, an Egypt-born scholar who studied at Constantinople and Moscow, fled to the monastery in winter of 1610-1611. The paper is important because it shows a historical preface a brief chronicle of war Radu Serban.

The bishop's call Ramnic, Hilarion, and her activity is coming from Bistrita between 1694-1704 Alexander teachers. I attribute it works: Otocenic or Path, key of course, an ode to readers and "gogiomanii" St. Nicholas Church in Brasov Scheii. Those who have contributed substantially to the enrichment of Romanian culture closely tied to the many copies and translations Bistrita after manuscripts are numerous: mention Theophilus (gospel teacher - 1644), Theophanes (Slavonic Psalter - 1619), Hilarion (Psalter with talc), Stefan monk (boilers - 1724), Joachim of Mens - grammar (Troad History - 1766).

The monk noticed that Stephen, who arrive later Metropolitan of the Romanian Country, the son born to Ramesti lands Valcea - Horezu after first crushing the Bistrita and was a monk and abbot at the monastery Tismana. About the importance of books in Bistrita monastery library in developing our national culture, about hard work, dedication and skill of the scholars time, here's what Odobescu said in a report that Minister of Religious Affairs: "With some of these monasteries, especially in Bistrita and tails I found, among others, and some books that are not of necessity the service, church, are discarded and untidy and threatening to curtain. These books, however, manuscripts and printed, are of great importance for us and the Slavonic language, typography and art in the country in November: rare and national Bibliotheca missing.

Until 1948, the monastery functioned different schools, especially for girls, even a normal school to prepare the institution for primary schools. Schooling was disbanded along with the inauguration of the "popular democracy." We note that here in the monastery there was a carpet shop made famous "Persian" (the area is famous for shepherd). Also here there is also a dispensary, which deals with health Costesti inhabitants and forest workers, passionately driven by a doctor-nun, which was sent to study in the community of nuns. In 1959, the convent nuns disbanded and sent home.

There followed a period somewhat beneficial for a category of children struck by fate, children with mental deficiencies or more less serious oligophrenia medical terms, when the monastery buildings functioned and still function, a special school for them. There were series of children trained here, so their level of understanding theory, but mostly practical. Under the guidance of foreman, exceptional working as apprentices, they have made mobile wood carved works that have taken the path of export. But in 1984, by striving Reverend Gerasimos, Bishop of the Diocese of Valcea, Arges and Olt, the monastic life of the settlement came about new opportunities, managing to reanoade old thread, reanfiintand monastery. A restored buildings and under the pretext of setting up a museum of typography slowly Settlement was repopulated. After 1989, the monastic life took on new values. Since 1999, the abbot of the monastery took under her leadership Arnota Monastery, by transforming it from the monastery by monks in the monastery of nuns.

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