Location: Neamt Monastery is located in Vanatori village, at 15 km north-west from Targu Neamt in a place near the brook Nemtisor, surrounded by green hills.

Year of the Construction: Many rulers made their contributions to Neamt monastery: Petru Muşat, Alexandru cel Bun (Alexander the Good) and Ştefan cel Mare (Stefan the Great)

Address: village Vanatori, Neamt County

Tel: +(40) 233 25 15 80 and +(40) 745 82 31 79
Fax: +(40) 233 25 15 87

The Patron of the Monastery: “Inaltarea Domnului – The Rising of Jesus” celebrated at 40 days after Ester

Web: http://neamt.mmb.ro/

Short history of Neamt Monastery

Neamt Monastery was first mentioned in the XIV century and it’s the oldest religious settlement in this area – it’s also known as “The Jerusalem of the Romanian Orthodoxy”. We don’t know for sure who was the main founder of Neamt monastery and at what date but among the rulers that contributed to the rising of this church there are Petru Musat (1375-1391), Alexandru cel Bun (1400-1432) and Stefan cel Mare (1457-1504).

Petru Musat was the one that built a stone church at Neamt Monastery to replace the old wooden one. In the year 1471 an earthquake damaged the church and for this reason Stefan cel Mare will build a new church near the old one. The first service was held after the great victory from Codrii Cosminului forest. In the year 1485 Neamt monastery receives a gift from ruler Stefan cel Mare under the form of a bell.

From all the old buildings that once were there, today we can only see the church of Stefan cel Mare and the lower part of the bell-tower built by Alexandru cel Bun. The buildings that can be seen today are from the XVIII – XIX century. Between 1958 and 1961 the church of St Gheorghe (this is the saint that battled the dragon) was rebuilt.

Neamt Monastery photos

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Today, inside the walls of Neamt monastery there are two churches, two chapels, the bell-tower with 11 bells, the Theological Seminary Veniamin Costache and a museum with religious art and some old printing presses. Inside the church we can see the icon of Virgin Mary, painted in 665 in Israel – this icon was a gift to Alexandru cel Bun from the Byzantine Emperor Ioan the VIIth Paleologul.

Neamt monastery also holds the oldest library with 18,000 books. Here we can find the tombs of Prince Stefan (the son of Alexandru cel Bun and the uncle of Stefan cel Mare) and the famous abbot Paisie Velicicovschi.

I don’t think that there is anyone that can come to Neamt Monastery, witness the religious service and not to be deeply impressed. Any traveler will leave this place with a small memory – the result of a moment of peace and solitude felt in front of so much history and in front of God.

Read more information about Neamt Monastery (history, attraction points, images, video and its hermitages).