From the early monastic settlements the abbots organized trade workshops. Their “products” were distributed at other monasteries from the entire Moldova region. The most well known nun monasteries from Neamt County are Agapia and Varatec.

At Varatec Monastery in 1940 there were workshops of religious embroidery and book manufacturing, carpets and weaving, religious painting and decorative art. Many nuns became well known for their skills and were sent to other monasteries to teach their art.

In the museum of the monastery you can see original religious objects, old religious icons, embroideries, carpets and religious clothing.

At the monastery from Agapia the most well known workshop is the painting one created by Nicolae Grigorescu. These days the nuns don’t paint in the style of Grigorescu and they approach a style closer to the Byzantine one. At Agapia Monastery there is the only knitwear workshop from the Moldova region where the nuns create clothing for nuns and monks.

Monastic creations