General Presentation of the The Three Holy Hierarchs Monastery Iaşi, România

A unique monument of its kind, a repository of the cultural and spiritual life of Moldavia, the Monastery of the Three Holy Hierarchs is located in the old centre of Iasi, on Stefan cel Mare si Sfant Boulevard, formerly known as the Princely Street.

The "Trisfetite" Church, built during Prince Vasile Lupu’s reign (1637 -1639), was intended to be a royal burial ground; it reflects the founder’s aspiration to the Byzantine world as it combines traditional structures and shapes with precious materials and a sumptuous decoration. Metropolitan Varlaam consecrated this holy place on the 6^th of May 1639, and two years later Saint Paraskeve’s relics were moved here. The monastery accommodated a printing house and the "Schola Basiliana", the future Princely Academy. In 1970 the monastery was closed and the only religious services to be officiated were the celebration of the feast day of the Three Hierarchs (30^th January) and the Union Day on 24^th of January. Following the 1989 events, the monastery was reopened at the initiative of His Beatitude Daniel, Metropolitan of Moldavia and Bukovina.

The monument is renowned for its embroidery in stone (most of it preserved in its original form) that decorate the outer walls. Thirty different carved stone decoration bands cover the entire outside walls of the church from the base to the top of the steeples; they are inspired from the national old wood carvings and embroideries blended with Asian and Western elements. An impressive threefold twisted cord – a symbol of the Holy Trinity – makes the architectural complex of the church absolutely perfect.

The church is under the patronage of The Three Holy Hierarchs (St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory the Theologian and St. John Chrysostom); they are celebrated on the 30^th of January.