There is an old 14th-century monastery, on the edge of a lake, near the small village of Capriana. Because of its isolation, the monastery has survived the militant atheism of the Soviet era and all the looting and pillaging that came with it.
The monastery consists of three different sections that were all built in different eras. The oldest part is the church of the Virgin's Assumption, which was built in the 14th century in baroque style. In the 19th century, Saint Nicholas' Church was added and at the beginning of the 20th century Saint George's Church, including the abbot's house, refectory and cells was built.
Nowadays the monastery is in use by more than forty Orthodox monks.
You can get to Capriana by bus from Chisinau, but there are only several buses daily and they return immediately, making day trips to the monastery difficult. Accommodation is available in Capriana though, so you can stay overnight and return to the capital the next day. Capriana is 20 km west of Chisinau.
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