DURAU  Monastery
 
Ceahlau commune, Neamt county. Convent for nuns.
Dedication day: “Feat of the Annunciation”, 25 March.
 

 

The monastic establishment came into being in the seventeenth century. It was founded by on of the daughters of Vasile Lupu Voivode.
The present-day church building was constructed in 1835 with the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan Veniamin Costachi - through the persevering efforts of Father Ghervasie, a monastic, of the brothers Gheorghe and Ioan Prosie, and of Vasile Piovici. The wooden belfry and the Metropolitan Residence date from the beginning of the nineteenth century.
The remarkably beautiful wax paintings inside the church were executed by the renowner painter Nicolae Tonitza (who was assisted by his students, among whom was Corneliu Baba, who would become a renowned painter as well) within the years 1936-1937.
Up until 1835, the holy eatblishment had been a female monastic community; afterwards, the female resident monastics left for the Varatec Monastery, and the establishment was transformed into a male monastic community. In 1959, the monk were driven away on the orders of the communist authorities and the monastery was dissolved, being transformed into a parosh church a year later. and subsequently, into a skete.
In the year 1974, following a public convenience contract, the skete was forced to concede tweenty-four monastic outbuildings (which had formerly offered lodgings to the resident monastic on the premises), as well as the adjacent lands, to the Travel Office of the County of Neamt. The monastic houses and a small wooden church building (that dated from the sixteenth century), which had been placed in the cemetery and which had been actually brought from the Ceahlau Mountain, were pulled down. Oddly enough, tourist villas were constructed on the location and the cemetery had to be removed.

In the year 1991, the monastery was granted six villas (which are used for missionary and cultural purposes at the present time) and the Polyvalent Hall, too.
At the present time, extensive repairs and restoration works are carried out on the old monastic outbuildings, on the church building, and on the belfry. Special mention should be made of the fact that the belfry-tower shelters an icon collection that dates as far back as the sixteenth century and that was brought to the monastic premises from the former Cerebuc Skete.
Up until 1992, the holy establishment had been a skete for male monastics. Worthy of note is the fact that a chapel that services the Spiritual and Cultural Centre, which is situated in Durau, has been placed in the Polyvalent Hall.
The following skete have been affiliated to the Durau Monastery: Skete of Venerable Teodora of Sihla - Ceahlau commune, Neamt county. Convent for monks. Skete of Venerable Mother Parascheva at Sabasa - Sabasa village, Borca commune, Neamt county. Dedication day: "Mary Magdalene, Myrrh-Bearer and Equal to the Apostles".


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