MONASTERY ZLOȚI

15 km from the city of Cainari, the monastery of Zloți as it is visible today is located on the site of an old building whose foundations were destroyed. A legend says that in 1841, a shepherd would have seen the Virgin Mary entrust him that a monastery would be erected there. The construction of the first monastery began with the monk Serafim Dabija, from Suruceni Monastery, and the monk Grigore, from Noul Monastery Neamț. The hermitage belonged to the bishopric of Tighina, but was later declared independent. The monastery closed in 1949 and Father Serafim was deported to Siberia. The complex, which included fields, livestock, stables and cells, was almost completely destroyed in 1970. In March 1995, Zloți was re-established as a hermitage of the Noul Monastery Neamț. A new church was designed by architects from Tighina (Transnistria). It was consecrated in August 1995 by Dorimedont, the abbot of Noul Neamț. During the period 1995-1996, a complex of houses, the priory, the kitchen and the refectory were built. The chapel of the Blessed Virgin, near the main church, was also consecrated during this period. It is a small, rectangular chapel with a vestibule above which a bell tower stands. The interior is simply designed, the walls are decorated with icons painted by the monk Iov and the artist Mihail Boboc. The exterior portal is notable for its bright colours. The liturgy is mainly in Russian.