Монастырь Хырбовэц

Right next to the Ichel River is the village of Hârboieț and the monastery with the same name. The monastery, village, and river are about 10 km from Chișinău. In 1730, a boyar, Constantin Carpuze, founded the Hârboieț Monastery. However, many archaeologists and historians believe that the monastery was established long before this date, around the 17th century. But the exact date cannot be determined, as it was destroyed three times by Turks and Tatars before 1812. Their raids had a heavy impact on the monastery, and all archives were burned to ashes. The reconstruction of the monastery was made possible by the help of a large number of people. Among them were Ștefan Lupu and his wife, Elena Lupu. The small wooden church, which was the heart of the monastery, was burned during the raids, so Ștefan and Elena decided to design and build another one in that place. In 1816, the summer church "Assumption of the Virgin Mary" appeared there. They also built, in 1870, within the walls of Hârboieț Monastery, the Holy Spirit Church. This couple provided invaluable assistance to the monastery, and Ștefan decided to get involved even more.