The Curchi Monastery is one of the most important monuments of Bessarabian architecture situated in the Vatici valley on a bank of the Vatic River between rich hills covered with forests. It is an architectural ensemble dating mostly from the 18th and 19th centuries. It consists of five churches and two buildings with cells. Monastery’s main church, the cathedral Naşterea Domnului (1872), was built in baroque style, inspired by the church of St. Andrew in Kyiv, which was designed by an Italian architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli. The cathedral has the highest dome in Moldova, rising to a height of 57 meters. During World War II, a fire at the monastery destroyed the icons and gilded iconostasis inside the church. In addition, two of the four original belfries were destroyed. In 1943, the cathedral was repainted. Unfortunately, from 1959-1995 during Soviet times the monastery was used as a psychiatric hospital. The monastery was reopened in 2005.
Parking location – Curchi Monastery: 47.334444N 28.656567E