People and places. Journey inside the picturesque world of Borca commune
 
 
 
Situated in the central part of the Eastern Carpathians, on the middle course of the Bistriţa River, Borca is a land that impresses through its majestic landscapes, places of great historical significance, traditions, customs, magical practices, and last but not least by its people who conquer you with their warmth and magic of speech and make you want to come back soon.
Geographically placed in the watersheds of the Sabasa and Borca streams, Borca commune comprises eight villages disposed on both …

The Annunciation Day (Romanian ”Buna Vestire” or “Blagoveştenia”) is the feast that gathers, every year, a large number of tourists and pilgrims at the Durău Monastery, located at the foot of Ceahlău Mountain. On this day (the 25th of March) the Monastery celebrates its Dedication Day. After taking part in the religious service, people will enjoy fish dishes, being allowed to eat fish on this holy day.
In the popular culture, calendar the Annunciation Day is also known as the Cuckoo Day (Romanian “Ziua cucului”). The elders say that in the …

 
 
 Celebrating the Dedication Day of Horaița Monastery
 
 
 
Located in the Village of Crăcăoani, 6 km away from the road between Piatra Neamţ and Tîrgu Neamţ, Horaiţa Monastery is higly frequented by believers, who come here for recovering and forming a sacred communion with God. The Monastery celebrates its Dedication Day on the 25th of March, the day of the Announciation (Romanian “Buna Vestire”).
The church is built exclusively of stone and has eight towers, a unique element of the Moldavian ecclesiastical architecture, which stands as a symbol of eternity. The number and …

Bârnadu village is situated in a very beautiful area in Neamţ county. The village is placed at the foothill of Ciurgău Mountain, on the ridge between the basins of Sugău and Bardosul rivers, consisting of scattered households, with large courtyards and narrow lanes. Bârnadu is situated just above the high and steep Bicaz Gorges, making a picturesque destination of it, an oasis of peace and beauty, where landscapes of Șugău Gorges, Criminiș Peak and Hășmașu Mare Peak are available to the viewers. The most frequented way of access to the …

 
Bistriţa Monastery
 
 
 
Its successive founders are the four great Muşat princes: Alexandru cel Bun, Ştefan cel Mare, Petru Rareş, and Alexandru Lăpuşneanu. The most precious religious artefact of the monastery is St Ana’s Icon reputed for producing miracles, presented as a gift by the Byzantine Emperor Manuel II the Palaiologos and his wife Ana in 1407. In the early fifteenth century, the monk Chiril created here a genuine work of art by copying and decorating with miniatures the Tetraevanghel [the Four Gospels]. The tradition was carried on between the sixteenth and …

 
Durău Monastery
 
 
 
Commissioned in the seventeenth century by one of Vasile Lupu’s daughter, the monastery was rebuilt in 1835, at the expense of some affluent tradesmen in Piatra-Neamţ.
The church – made of stone and brick – combined traditional Moldavian architecture with laic elements. However, the western facade – in neoclassical style – is decorated with a frontispiece with recesses, al fresco icons and an exquisitely carved oak portal.
The painting made a century on by Nicolae Tonitza has a special character both owing to the style and composition of religious scenes and …