The Butuceni headland contributes greatly to the Old Orhei' landscape and scenery. Together with the Pestere promontory they form a n integral, complete complex, harmonizing from all points of view. The Butuceni promontory has an extraordinarily geological view, with tens of calcareous slates with a perfect horizontal alignment, a great number of spacious caves and smaller grottos, carved in the stone walls. On the other hand, the headland is wonderful from the view point of it unique scenery, its evident archeological scent, denoting at each step ancient stone and ground fortifications, spiritual underground complexes, and other ancient traces. All of these impress and unforgettably overwhelm any visitor of the Old Orhei. The Butuceni headland has a prolonged form of 3000 meters, and 300 meters in width on its northeastern end up to 15 meters on its center part. It is oriented from east...
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More complexes
by ZiOOlek
The fifth cave complex is 'under the Bacota forest' or in Stinca Corbului, much more accessible that the previous one. In it on the same vergy right bank of Raut, at about 100 meters to the south from the previous complex, at a height of about 80-90 meters above the water of the river. It is composed of 20 monastery caves, placed in four layers, one on top of the other. Inside the caves, on the walls there are sacral signs and other inscriptions with an archaic character, some of them being similar with the early medieval vestiges. The sixth cave complex, in the Cillilor Rock, is located 400 meters south east from the previous complex, on the same stage of the steep bank of the Raut river, exactly in front of the Gaeto-Dacian fortress and of the St. Mary church to the south. The respective complex is known under the name of ?Schitul lui Rafail? (Rafail?s Hermitage). It is formed of more...
Cave complex
by ZiOOlek
The second cave complex, located at about 30-60 meters above the Raut water, is on the western side from the Monastery of Bosie, under the bottom of the Gaeto- Dacian citadel, in the area of St. Mary church and to the west from it. The complex comprises about 30caves, some of them inaccessible without special equipment, arranged in several horizontal rows in the calcareous rock on a portion of about 250 meters. In the calcareous walls of the cells there are many incised signs, some of which resemble signs from the early Middle Age, noticed on similar complexes from different regions on pottery, bricks or on stones. The third cave complex is Pester Monastery, situated on a height of about 60meters above the waster of the river, next to the previous cells, with about 50meters to the west. The monastery was formed of a wonderful cave church with an altar, nave, pro-nave and patio, with a...
Cave Monasteries
by ZiOOlek
At present some of the monastery complexes are preserved quite well, other though were damaged to a lesser or greater extent by the historic events or by the natural catastrophes (mainly by earthquakes frequent in this area). The analysis of the rocks from Old Orhei shows that over the centuries fell in the water of Raut tens of monastic cells, only some foundation elements from these are visible today. Still, many cave complexes are in a good shape even today, representing a genuine pearl string within the museum complex from the Raut?s valley. The cave dwellings from Old Orhei in a result of century long evolution, got the present shape by the XV-XVII centuries. These complexes are dislocated in two sectors: in the northern side of the Butuceni headland and in the opposite bank of the river (Ruptura Bacotei) south form the Butuceni headland. From the archeological point of view, in the...
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Orthodox St. Mary Church
by ZiOOlek
An Orthodox St. Mary Church is situated in the central part of the headland. Being built in 1904, it imposes itself as dominant in the Old Orhei area, giving the archeological complex both an austere and mysterious air. Nowadays, like in early days, the promontory is crossed from the east to the west by a road coming from the accessible to the central and western parts. In the central part of the headland, a lateral way derives from the mentioned road leading to the interior of the Butuceni village, situated at the base of the headland, in its southern part nearby Raut?s meadow. The church was, unfortunatelly, closed. It was not possible to see what is inside.
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Around the church
by ZiOOlek
Surrandings of the Church are quite nice. There are some shrines around the buliding, as well as a bench where you can take a rest after a long way to the top of the hill.
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