The monasteries of Bucovina · The Rarău massif, Câmpulung Moldovenesc
XVIII century · the hermits of Rarău
Altitude. It is the only settlement on this list that sits high up, at one thousand two hundred metres, among the spruces, on the road to the Pietrele Doamnei. The quiet there is not the quiet of the valley: it has wind through the firs in it.
If you only have a minute
The closest monastic settlement to our house and the only one on this list high up in the mountains, at 1,200 metres. You get there on the road to Rarău, among the spruces, and the quiet up there is of a different kind than the one below: it is the quiet of altitude.
What you find only here
It is the only settlement on the whole list that sits high in the mountains, among the spruces, on the road to the Pietrele Doamnei. The hermits who chose the place three hundred years ago were after distance, not the road: you can tell from the way it sits, sheltered from the valley and from the village. The quiet there is not the quiet of the lowland monasteries; it has wind through the firs in it.
Open daily. The mountain road is harder going in winter.
Raised in forms that quote the old architecture, with towers, arcades and new exterior painting. It is not a historical monument, but it is the only monastery on this list at 1,200 metres.
You arrive in the courtyard and look around without knowing where. These are 3 places on the walls that people who know look for.
At one thousand two hundred metres, the courtyard opens out over the Obcine ridges.
Made in forms that quote the old churches, but in today's colours. You can see the difference, and it is instructive.
The path to the Pietrele Doamnei starts nearby: both can be done in one morning.
Things that are less widely known, and that nobody tells you at the gate.
22 kilometres, but 45 minutes: the road climbs in hairpins to 1,200 metres.
The place was chosen by hermits who were after distance from the village, not closeness to the road. You can tell from the way it sits.
The path to the Rarău rocks starts nearby.
If you only have 30 minutes: The courtyard and the view. Then you climb to the Pietrele Doamnei.
Snow lies late at this altitude.
The best season; it combines with the Pietrele Doamnei.
The colours on Rarău.
The road can be closed; check before you go.
the emblematic rocks of Rarău
the town, and our house
Suggested circuit: Sihăstria Rarăului → Pietrele Doamnei → the Slătioara old-growth forest, a day in the mountains.
Masivul Rarău, Câmpulung Moldovenesc · 22 km from Câmpulung Moldovenesc
Further on
Hours and fees change from one season to the next, and we could not confirm them from an official source.
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