Moreni Monastery, Moreni Village, Deleni Commune, Vaslui County

Founded in 16th century, during the reign of Petru Rareş, as a hermitage by the great yeoman Lupan Buznea and his wife, Maria, on their estate situated on the valley of the Ghilahoi stream, from which he took his name of Bilavoi Monastery or the Hermitage of Lupan. The church has the Saint bearing of The „Dormition of the Virgin Mary”, built in 1540, was restored after the fire in 18th century (1770).In 19th century(1853), there was built a new church of wood and cob by the monks with the help of two Christians, Horduna and Giuşcă.At the end of the century, after the death of the great monarch Nicon  Sârbu (+1883), the monastic  settlement was wasted, being reactivated by the bishop of Huşi, Nifon Criveanu, in 1935.In 1958, the hermitage was dissolved and reactivated as a monastery in 1990.Between these years, the church functioned  as a filial of the parish Delenii de Jos.

The appearance of today’s church is due to the renovations from 1986 and 1997.Although modest as dimension, the church strikes through the harmony of proportions, through the typical aspect of a bucolic house and through the picturesque of the place where it was built. Built on stone foundation, with carrying walls from clay cradle, initially covered with shingle, today with sheet, long crest, it kept the old plan of rectangular nave, with the altar unhooked apse polygonal in five sides, open threshold, west entrance.  The façades have recently been planked with shingle. At the inside, the nave is covered with an octagonal vault on simple arch ribs, supported on consoles carved in doorsteps. The separation between nave and narthex is made with the help of 6 divisive pillars, carved as the ones from the threshold. It keeps painting from the 18^th and 19^th centuries, oil on sail (the Proskomede doors) and oil on wood(the icon „Saint George killing the dragon”, the imperial icon  „Maica Domnului cu Pruncul” (”Mother of God with The Child”, which makes miracles). 

Between 1990 and 1997, beside the church and the old bell tower (19^th century), the monastic complex was completed with new edifices, unitary built in what concerns the architecture, in which we can find traditional elements (the beadle-church, the bell tower, cells, the trapeze, the painting, tailoring, knitwear and liturgical embroidery workshops, the museum of religious art, with library and reading chamber). The monastery can assure touring ecumenical and cultural services.