Church & monasteryMoldavia

Cetățuia Monastery: the fortified hilltop monastery above Iași

Cetățuia Monastery (Mănăstirea Cetățuia) crowns a hill in the south of Iași, the old capital of Moldavia. Prince Gheorghe Duca built it in the 17th century as a monastery that could also serve as a fortress, and its walls, bell tower, princely house and church still survive as one ensemble.

Cetățuia means “little citadel”, and it earned the name. Legend says that in 1672 a sultan looked at its walls and predicted the monastery would collapse within 30 years. It is still standing.

WhereCetățuia Hill, south of Iași, Moldavia, Romania

TypeFortified Orthodox monastery, built 1668–1672

Best forFortified monastic architecture, a princely house and a view over Iași

Getting thereIn the south of Iași; Trei Ierarhi Monastery is about 3 km away, Golia Monastery about 4 km and the Lions’ Obelisk about 5 km

The history of Cetățuia Monastery

Cetățuia Monastery crowns the hill of the same name in the south of Iași, the old Moldavian capital. The hill was once covered with vineyards, gardens, orchards and woodland. In the summer of 1666 Prince Gheorghe Duca bought a large vineyard here from several owners, probably intending to found a monastery, but he was deposed soon afterwards and the plan stalled. When he returned to the throne, work began in the autumn of 1668 on a fortified monastery that was also meant to act as a stronghold in case of invasion. The chronicler Ion Neculce notes the start of the building.

The work went fast. By the spring of 1669 the church walls were almost complete and roofing materials were being sought, while bells were ordered from Brașov and Danzig for the massive bell tower at the entrance. According to the inscription on that tower, the enclosure walls, the bastions and the tower were finished by 10 June 1670. The church was consecrated only in 1672, after it had been painted and furnished. The monastery was dedicated to the Patriarchate of Jerusalem as early as 1670, and in 1672 Duca buried his daughter Maria in the new church.

Legend adds a famous scene. On 10 June 1672 Sultan Mehmed IV is said to have climbed the hill with his retinue and asked what the monastery had cost. Told that Duca had paid 30 purses of gold, he replied that it could not have been built for less than 100, and predicted that the building would collapse within 30 years because of the unstable ground. It did not. In 1682, on the advice of Patriarch Dositheos Notaras, Duca installed a printing press with Greek type, brought from Venice. It worked here until 1698, when it moved to Saint Sava Monastery, and it was the only press of its kind in the whole Orient at that time.

The walls made Cetățuia a refuge for princes. Constantin Cantemir withdrew here after Polish raiders seized the prince’s horses, and his son Dimitrie Cantemir sheltered here in 1710. In January 1717 a force of Austrian soldiers reached the monastery and waited below its walls for ladders, while Prince Mihai Racoviță was inside; Tatar riders and Moldavian troops then drove the attackers away. Decline followed: the west wall fell in the early 18th century, the buildings served as a grain store and a military hospital for foreign armies, a fire hit in 1822, and by the late 19th century the monastery was a ruin. Repairs in 1896 and 1910–1911 allowed monks to return in 1911, and further restoration took place in 1930, under the historian Nicolae Iorga, and in 1964–1971.

Curiosities about Cetățuia Monastery

The name Cetățuia means “citadel” or “little fortress” in Romanian, and the monastery was built from the start as a fortified complex with towers at the corners.
According to legend, Sultan Mehmed IV visited on 10 June 1672, doubted that the monastery had cost only 30 purses of gold and predicted it would collapse within 30 years. The prophecy proved wrong.
A printing press with Greek type, brought from Venice, worked here in the 1680s and 1690s and was the only one of its kind in the whole Orient at the time.
Prince Gheorghe Duca died in 1685 in Lviv. His son Constantin Duca brought his remains home in 1693 and buried them in a niche of the church; an archaeological dig in 1933 confirmed that remains lie there.
The monastery’s kitchen, or according to other opinions its bathhouse (hammam), is the only building of this kind preserved in a monastic ensemble.
In October 1911 the flying pioneer Aurel Vlaicu flew his own aircraft over Iași and made several turns around the hill and the monastery.

Tours near Cetățuia Monastery

Experiences in the area that you can book online with Viator:

Day trip to Republic of Moldova - visit Chisinau and Cricova Winery

★ 4.9 (36 reviews) · 11 h

See details ›

Day trip from Iasi to the UNESCO Painted Monasteries in Bucovina

★ 4.9 (33 reviews) · 12 h

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Iasi City Tour

★ 5 (13 reviews) · 6 h

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Adventure day trip from Iasi | Hiking in the Carpathian Mountains

★ 5 (10 reviews) · 10 h

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Visiting Cetățuia Monastery: what to see

The enclosure walls, about seven metres high, form a pentagonal courtyard of roughly 120 by 60 metres, with towers and loopholes that show how defensive the monastery was.
The church of Saints Peter and Paul, painted in 1673, has a votive portrait of Duca’s family in the narthex. It is a simplified copy of the Trei Ierarhi church.
The ensemble includes a princely house, a Gothic hall and a museum of medieval art. The northern bastion, known as the “Pilgrim’s Dinner” tower, offers a panorama of Iași.
From the hill you can also look towards the city’s famous wine cellars, which age wine from the monastery’s own vineyard.
Trei Ierarhi Monastery is about 3 km away and Golia Monastery about 4 km. Check the current opening hours before you go.

Opening hours, access and conditions can change. Check before you go.

Map: where Cetățuia Monastery is

Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors

Photos of Cetățuia Monastery

Questions

Where is Cetățuia Monastery?

It stands on Cetățuia Hill in the south of Iași, Romania, on a street that carries the same name.

Who built Cetățuia Monastery?

Prince Gheorghe Duca of Moldavia had it built between 1668 and 1672. The church was consecrated in 1672.

Why is Cetățuia Monastery fortified?

It was designed from the start to be both a monastery and a stronghold that could shelter the prince and the boyars during an invasion. Princes later took refuge there more than once.

Is Prince Gheorghe Duca buried at Cetățuia?

Yes. He died in 1685 in Lviv, and his son brought his remains to the church in 1693, where they were buried in a niche in the narthex.

What is there to see at Cetățuia Monastery?

The church, the princely house, the Gothic hall, the bell tower, the walls and a museum of medieval art. The Pilgrim’s Dinner tower gives a view over Iași.

What else is near Cetățuia Monastery?

Trei Ierarhi Monastery is about 3 km away, Golia Monastery about 4 km and the Lions’ Obelisk about 5 km.