Dormition Church
Moldova's oldest church.
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Căpriana Monastery is one of the oldest and most important monasteries in Moldova, in the village of Căpriana among the forests of the Codri hills. White buildings with red roofs and neat gardens surround several churches, and it is a calm place. The monastery was first recorded in 1429 under Prince Alexander the Good, and it was a royal monastery under the care of Moldavia's princes. Petru Rareș rebuilt it between 1542 and 1545. Its Church of the Dormition is the oldest surviving church in Moldova. The Church of St Nicholas was added in the 19th century and the Church of St George in the 20th. You walk the courtyard between the churches and the monks' houses with their wooden balconies. The monastery holds the tomb of Metropolitan Gavril Bănulescu-Bodoni, one of the leading churchmen in the country's history. This is a working monastery, so dress modestly, keep your voice low and do not photograph inside the churches without asking. The monastery is 29 km in a straight line north-west of Chișinău, about 40 km by road. Entry is free and you can leave a donation. Hâncu Monastery is 15 km to the west and the Codru Reserve 10 km away, so you can combine them in one day.
Moldova's oldest church.
White houses, wooden balconies.
Gavril Bănulescu-Bodoni.
Căpriana village, Strășeni District
Yes: cover shoulders and knees, and women usually cover their hair.
Hâncu Monastery is 15 km away and the Codru Reserve 10 km.