The 15th century bell tower
The tomb of Alexandru cel Bun
The Bistriţa Monastery (Romanian: Mănăstirea Bistrița) is a Romanian Orthodox monastery located in the village of Bistrița, 8 km west of Piatra Neamț. It was dedicated in 1402 by Romanian Voivode Alexander I of Moldavia whose remains are buried here.
The monastery is surrounded by 4 meter high stone walls built during Petru Rareș's reign (1541–1546), the original ones being destroyed in 1538 by Suleiman the Magnificent's army. Also from the same period dates a chapel located north of the monastery. The church is historically and archaeologically valuable. It shows features of Byzantine architecture, has many beautiful ornaments, the 15th century entrance door being a work of fine craftsmanship. The bell tower was erected in 1498 by Stephen the Great.
A remarkable item preserved here is the miraculous icon of Saint Anne given as a present to the monastery by Manuel II Palaiologos, emperor of Constantinople.
The monastery was an important cultural center for calligraphers, miniaturists and chroniclers. The monastery's museum hosts an important collection of medieval art.
External links[]
| This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Bistrița Monastery. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License. |