Three Holy Hierarchs Monastery in Iași

The Three Hierarchs of Eastern Christianity refers to Basil the Great (also known as Basil of
Caesarea), Gregory the Theologian (also known as Gregory of Nazianzus) and John
Chrysostom. They were highly influential bishops of the early church who played pivotal
roles in shaping Christian theology. In Eastern Christianity they are also known as the Three
Great Hierarchs and Ecumenical Teachers, while in Roman Catholicism the three are honored
as Doctors of the Church. The three are venerated as saints in Eastern Orthodoxy,
Catholicism, Anglicanism, and other Christian churches.

Votive inscription of the founder.The

founder Vasile Voievod and
family.Bringing the relics of Saint
Paraskeve(mosaic).Print of the period
1845.Plundered and burned by invaders
coming from the East (1650) and from the
North (1686), damaged by earthquakes
(1711, 1781, 1795, 1802), the church
waited for the IndependenceWar (1877)
to get over with this succession of
humiliating situations.
The restoration of the architectural structure lasted from 1882 to 1887 while the paintings
and the inside renovation until 1898; the church was consecrated once again in 1904, during
the reign of King Carol I of Romania. The building that hosts the Gothic Hall was erected by
Vasile Lupu; it was restored several times, the last one in 1960.
The Three Holy Hierarchs (St. Basil the Great,
St. Gregory the Theologian and St. John
Chrysostom) Monastery was designed as a
traditional monastic settlement and it is one of
the most famous complexes of Romanian
Medieval art, a legendary architectural
masterpiece that has never ceased to enchant
visitors from all over the world. Its current
appearance is the result of the restoration
works that took place from 1882 to 1904
under the supervision of the French architect
André Lecomte de Noüy.
Iconostasis.Details of the interior painting.Saint Paraskeve niche.Queen stall.Chandeliers,
notably the ostrich eggs. In the original architecture, the narthex was separated from the
nave by a massive wall, replaced during the restoration works by three arcades supported by
two pillars. One should notice that the angles of the narthex walls as well as the angles
between the walls and the vaults are closed by the same ornamental twisted band to be
found in the external decoration. The lateral walls of the narthex shelter four tombs, two on
each side, dug as vault-like niches. Here lie the remains of the founders’ family as well as
those of Prince Dimitrie Cantemir and of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza.

The tombs are covered by massive

tombstones of decorated black marble.
The relics of Saint Paraskeve, given to
Prince Vasile Lupu for his generous help
to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, were
brought from Constantinople and put in
a niche that had been created especially
for this purpose; this niche is decorated
with marble, precious stones and
mosaics that illustrate the Saint’s life.
The tombs are covered by massive
tombstones of decorated black marble.

This detail is taken from the side of the church,

this flower has in its composition a total of 32
petals in a circular shape these petals are
divided into 4 rows of 8 petals per row placed in
a straight line.The row of petals decreases in
each row towards the center.

Behar Shpendi