One of my favourite places in Moldova must be the atmospheric and slightly claustrophobic cave monastery at Old Orhei (or Orheiul Vechi in Romanian).
The monastery dates back to the 13th or 14th centuries (there is a little disagreement depending upon who you listen to or what you read). This was a time when the area of Orhei county was on the frontier of the medieval Moldavian Principality and the Turkic nomadic tribes that lived on the vast Eurasian steppes which started across the Dniester River.
The most notable of these warrior nomads were the Tatars and, for a time in the 14th century, the Mongols. The Tatars conquered the area in 1241 for their Mongol overlords known as the Golden Horde, which was the part of Genghis Khan’s empire ruled by his descendants via his eldest son Jochi. In the valley cut by the River Raut we still have the remains of Tatar baths and the palace of the Mongol governor.
Control of the area was contested for centuries but mostly the area became a frontier post of the Moldavian Principality from the fifteenth century onwards and the area was fortified by Stephen the Great (Stefan cel Mare, reigned 1457-1504) along with Tighina (modern Bender) and Soroca to protect from the constant threat of Tatar raids from across the Dniester.
These raids were likely the reason that the caves that became Peştera monastery were hewn from the rock by the monks as they gave a place of relative safety. The work of those medieval monks has left us one of Moldova’s most enduring historical sites.
The cave monastery was used for a few centuries certainly, but there is no evidence of much monastic activity here from around the 16th century until the early nineteenth century when the stone cross and bell tower above the caves were built. From 1816 the monastery church became the parish church of Butuceni and served as such until 1904.
In 1905 the church of St Mary above ground was re sanctified and took over as the centre of monastic life, but the cave monastery has remained closely linked to the church and is still cared for by the monks to this day.
During the Soviet period the bells, icons and books of the monastery were removed and St Mary’s became part of an open air museum (or one guide tried to tell me it was a nightclub, but considering the remote location I have serious doubts about that!). The religious community was re registered in 1996 with services restarting in 1998.
Visiting Today
Despite the remote location it’s actually not too difficult to get to the Cave Monastery or St Mary’s Church. There are regular buses from Chișinău central bus station to Butuceni village or there are organised tours offered by various agencies which include Old Orhei. I visited on a tour with Moldova To Visit. The walk uphill from the place where coaches can stop looks more strenuous than it really is. Taking it slowly, even I could do it in 10 minutes.
It’s actually quite a pleasant walk with lovely views over the valley on one side and Butuceni village on the other. The Butuceni village cemetery adds a little splash of colour to the landscape. A strange thing for a cemetery to brighten things up, but it does. There are also often some locals selling some souvenirs on makeshift stalls at the side of the path and it seemed that the prices asked were rather reasonable.
Once you arrive at the top you will then have to take the stairs down into the church of the Cave Monastery. Take care, it’s dark (I had to use the torch on my phone to avoid tripping) and the doorway at the bottom is quite low.
As soon as you pass through the doorway and enter the church the fog of incense envelops you and you can feel the centuries. It can get quite busy at moments that tour groups arrive, but give it a few minutes and most of them rush onwards and you can get a slightly more peaceful experience. You will be under the watchful eye of at least one of the monks.
I do find Orthodox Christian icons to be generally very beautiful, despite being very much non religious myself, but icons presented in these historic places are somehow even more beautiful and gain a slightly otherworldly quality, which I guess is perhaps the point.
As you enter the church, the chapel area (or altar, I’m not sure of the terminology) is to your right. Straight ahead is a narrow ledge outside on the cliff face with amazing views. Through a dark opening to the left is the chamber containing the niches which were the sleeping quarters for medieval monks. There was not a lot of luxury here, for sure.
Outside on the ledge is another place to take care. It’s not very wide and gets very crowded. There isn’t any barrier between you and a very long drop either. But the views are wonderful.
Going back up above ground, carrying on along the path a little further brings you to the church of St Mary (Biserica Sfânta Maria) which has beautiful gardens, and quite importantly an almost acceptably clean toilet. The interior of the church is colourful and clearly quite recently restored. It’s pretty, but it lacks the atmosphere of the cave monastery.
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