Monastery of St. Elijah Prophet

The Monastery of St Elijah the Prophet in Topliţa, at the foothills of Călimani Mountains was founded in 1928 by Dr. Elie Miron Cristea. Undoubtedly the most spectacular and valuable part of the complex is the monument church of the monastery. The so-called church from Stânceni was built in 1847 and was moved to Topliţa in 1910. The building is a masterpiece of traditional architecture, with the typical architectural solutions of Moldavian craftsmen, with its wooden arches.

The church entrance, with a porch, is on the southern side. It is decorated with arches that lean on carved columns and has a small tower above. The sanctuary walls form a pentagon, covered by an octagonal dome. The nave vault is semi cylindrical and lies on an octagonal foundation elongated in the east-west direction.

On the nave vault one can still see the original frescos painted in 1847 by master Gligorie from Târgul Pietrei, Piatra Neamţ. The ceiling is connected with the main nave ceiling through a triumphal arch on which the face of Jesus Emmanuel is painted. The other paintings that cover the whole interior of the church are not original. The paintings that were damaged because of the moving of the church were restored sing tempera by the painter Dumitru Belizarie.

The monastery also has a museum that contains rare pieces.

For instance, one can see here the iconostasis from the old church, which was painted by the same master Gligorie mentioned above. The collection of icons, that were painted on glass, and the rare books are also very valuable.