Romania (#19): Putna Monastery

Year Built: 1466-1469. Built by: Stephen the Great.. The present church was practically rebuilt between 1653 and 1662 by Vasile Lupu and his successors. The imposing Putna Monastery is situated about 30 km northwest from the town of Radauti, near the Putna River. High, forested hills and wild landscape surround the monastery and the village with the same name. Stephen the Great built the monastery as his burial place between 1466 and 1469 and the Church of the Assumption of the Holy Virgin was consecrated one year later. The first superior was Archimandrite Ioasaf from Neamt Monastery, the first important monastic centre in Moldavia. The superior was accompanied by calligraphers, who were the first teachers of the new monastery school that followed the example of the school of Neamt. It started as a school of rhetoric, logic and grammar for future chroniclers and clerical staff, but soon Putna became one of the most significant cultural centers in the country.