The Varatic Monastery is a rather recent monastic settlement. A skete, bearing the same name, was set up in 1781-1785 by an outstanding nun, Olimpiada, together with some other nuns, upon the spiritual advice by Abbot Paisy from Neamt and with the blessing of Metropolitan Gavriil Calimachi. The first church at Varatic was a small church built in wood. As the number of nuns increased, the church was also enlarged by adding a porch. The second church, chronologically speaking, to be built as from 18008 was "the Assumption of our Lady". It was known and named by the community "the larger Church". Its architecturee preserves certain features taken up from the old church architecture and that of thee 18th century in Moldavia. The painting was done in 1882 by painters T. Ioan and D. Iliescu and was cleaned in 1968-1969 by Arutium Avachian.
The other churches of Varatic Convent, built during the 19th century are as follows: "St. John the Baptist's Nativity" - it was built, to start with in wood and then in brick, and "The transfiguration", built in brick and stone, in 1847. This last church was painted on the inside by artist Eremia Profeta in 1965. There is also a chapel dedicated to St. Nicholas on the first floor of the belltower, placed in the middle of the guest house, which was built during the first decades of the 19th century. Particularly the church of "the Assumption" is a valuable artistic monument.
The monastery has a museum that hosts many valuable religious objects and books mostly made by the nuns.
As Varatic Convent is placed in a beautiful glade in the sub-carpatic area, surrounded by meadows and shady forests, it has attracted many writer, poets and scholars. They found here the charming beauty of the environment, the hospitality of the monastic cells and a propitions atmosphere for rest, meditation and creative work. Among there, we recall: D. Bolitineanu, C. Negri, M. Eminescu, Veronica Micle (she is buried here), Gala Galaction, Calistrat Hogas, G. Ibraileanu and many others. Some of them have left outstanding pages describing the charm of the area where the covent is placed and the spiritual features of some of the nuns living here.
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