Cașin Monastery

About Cașin Monastery

At a glance: Monasteries and churches in Mănăstirea Cașin, Bacău County. The visit takes 45 min. Information verified on 10 October 2026.

At Mănăstirea Cașin, in the valley of the Cașin river at the foot of the Curvature Carpathians, stands one of the few fortress-monasteries of 17th-century Moldavia. It was built by Gheorghe Ștefan, prince of Moldavia from 1653 to 1658, at an important crossing from which roads led to Transylvania and Wallachia. Sources give slightly different years: work began in 1655, and the church of the Holy Voivodes ("Sfinții Voievozi") and the enclosure wall were finished in 1657. The plan and proportions of the church resemble those of the Golia church in Iași, but with simpler forms.

The complex was surrounded by princely houses and a thick stone wall with towers and battlements, conceived first as a defence and only then as a place of prayer. The Turks destroyed it in 1717 and the great earthquake of 1802 damaged it badly; it was repaired by Greek abbots and went through a fire in 1920. After the secularisation of monastic estates in 1863 the Greek monks left and the church became a parish church. The complex is a historic monument of national interest.

Today the church stands and is in use, and of the rest of the complex you can see the enclosure wall, the bell tower at the entrance and the ruins of the princely houses, the school and the monks' cells.

Good to know before you go

Getting there

By car: from Onești follow the DJ115 south-west along the Cașin valley to the village of Mănăstirea Cașin (~16 km, ~25 minutes); the monastery is on Strada Gheorghe Ștefan Voievod, on a small plateau beside the road through the village. It is ~35 km from Târgu Ocna and ~70 km from Bacău (estimates).

Public transport: the easiest option is a taxi from Onești. If you travel by public transport, check the timetable of local services between Onești and the commune beforehand.

Where to park

We found no official information about a laid-out car park; cars are usually left at the roadside in front of the enclosure.

Rules

It is a working place of worship: modest dress (shoulders and knees covered), quiet and respect for services. Ask before photographing inside. The walls and ruins are old, so do not climb on them, and the decayed cellars are not set up for visitors.