Orhei Things to Do

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Orheiul Vechi is probably the great sight of Moldova although it's hard to define exactly why the place is so fascinating. A series of cave monasteries cut into a ridge of rocky cliffs overlooking the river is, however, rather unusual, (although not unique even in Moldova). The main rock monastery was an empty shell until a decade ago but now contains a simple Orthodox church and monastery and a series of cells cut into the rock. (At least one of these pieces of 'accommodation' is still in use.) We were cheerfully told there were four and a half monks (and politely assumed one must have been part-time). The atmosphere of the whole place, though, needs to be experienced rather than explained.
Without a car (or arranged trip), the monastery is difficult to get to. If you do have a car, it allows you a little time to look at nearby villages like Brâneşti, with great examples of the imagination that goes into decorating colourful Moldovan houses. Also relatively close, is Curchi Monastery, of a more conventional 18th/19th century type with a number of churches and domestic buildings inside a walled enclosure. The interesting thing here is the enormous amount of restoration going on - after years of neglect - where you can see, for instance, the mechanics of how a copper dome is put in place and how crumbling stonework is repaired.