Description of the attraction
The Rock Monastery in Tipovo is one of the most famous and popular tourist attractions in Moldova, the largest rock monastery in Central Europe. It is located not far from the equally famous gorge of the Tipovo landscape reserve.
The monastery was founded in the 6th century on the banks of the Dniester River, not far from the village of Tsypovo. According to one of the legends, the great ruler of Moldova Stefan cel Mare was secretly married here with his third wife Maria Voykitsa. Her ghost still wanders among the caves of the monastery and can even point to hidden treasures, if you are not afraid to follow him on the full moon. There is also another ancient legend that the mythological poet Orpheus crashed among the local cliffs, unable to bear the separation from his beloved Eurydice, who was buried in one of the niches of the monastery. The remains of Orpheus rest behind a stonework, securely locked by a seven-hole tablet.
The heyday of the Rock Monastery in Tipovo falls into the 1700s. At that time, a large-scale reconstruction and expansion of the monastery began, the main church was divided into several rooms, which were separated from each other by a series of columns. The steep cliffs in which the cells were cut, the church with the bell tower, the refectory are practically inaccessible, and served as a reliable refuge for hermit monks.
During the Soviet period, the Tsypov Monastery was closed, but in 1974 its ruins were taken under the protection of the state. In 1994, the monastery was returned to the believers, and divine services were resumed. Recently, a large-scale reconstruction was carried out and today everyone can visit the territory of the Rock Monastery in Tipovo at any time.
