STEPHEN THE GREAT AND HOLY COMMEMORATION/ Virgin Mary Dormition Church of Capriana

Situated in the province of Lapusna, the Republic of Moldova, this foundation is traditionally attributed to Stephen the Great. Legend has it that, upon returning from a battle against that Tartars on the Dnester River, Stephen stopped over in a beautiful glade in the middle of a secular wood, where his soldiers saw a deer hunted by a pack of wolves.

Impressed by the scene, the ruler had a monastery built on that site that was called Capriana (Romanian for deer). 14th century historic records mention the existence of a monastery called Virgin Mary Dormition. In the next century, the same church is recorded as the Ciprian Monastery or the Capriana Monastery.

July 2 marks the commemoration of 510 years since the death of Moldovan ruler Stephen the Great (ruling between 1457-1504), one of the most important Romanian figures of the Middle Ages. On June 20, 1992, he was sanctified by the Romanian Orthodox Church as Pious Voivode Stephen the Great and Holy. AGERPRES