the hidden monastery

My Photo scholarship 2011 entry

Moldova | Friday, September 2, 2011 | 5 photos

Back in 2008 in a not so well known country I discovered a hidden monastery inside a hill that impress all visitors there. Its unique story reveals the beauty of the spiritual World beyond harsh history. It represents the magnificent faith in GOD beyond restrictions of a certain time. I hope my pictures will impress viewers and make them at least think that human spirit is sometimes stronger than any restrictions or borders. It is an invitation to open the heart as well as the eyes, to travel and to learn as this is the passport toward finding ourselves.

The place is called Orhei somewhere 100 km north of the capital city Chisineu. The geography shows a river sourounding a big hill in an courious shape that reminds me on the snake shapes of the Amazon stretching the jungle. The place have on top of the hill a church built not so long ago. It is on the place of an ancient one that was destroyed by conquerors back in time. Locals where having a strong faith in God so they tried to resist the invaders by carving underneath, inside the hill a sort of a small monastery. This one seems it was never discovered even during the nazi invasion later on. There are inside a church, several places to sleep and a terrace with a maginficent panorama over the valley and the river that pass just on the hill shoulder.

An old priest is still serving the monastery today and he is doing his best to survive the cold and dark atmosphere where the light is barely entering a small window. He sells paints , books and anthems of orthodox influence and tries to keep the magic of the place alive fro the very few visitors that enter his monastery.

The pictures shows some of the important areas I was happy to discover with my small camera.