In the succeeding two centuries, the monastic establishment was restored several times: in 1882, between 1848 and 1858 (when the church underwent several notable modifications), in 1903 (when the monastery grounds were renewed and then a few outbuildings designed for workshop uses were erected), and in 1968. In 1968 the monastery was provided with modern conveniences, such as central heating, electricity and running water, which were introduced through the persevering efforts of Metropolitan Iustin Moisescu. The museum housed within the monastery shelters a valuable art collection as well as a precious collection of liturgical objects. It also shelters the deposit of old book of the County of Neamt and the “Alexandru Vlahuta Memorial House”. The library of the monastery incorporates fifty thousand volumes. Attracted by the beauty of the landscape and the surrounding sights, as well as by the peacefulness of the spiritual life of the holy establishment, many writes and cultural personalities visited this monastery particularly in the summertime. It was here that they could rest and work in peace, far from the maddening crowd. Among them, we can enumerate the following writers: Alexandru Vlahuta (whose sister was a resident monastic here), George Cosbuc, Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu and his daughter Iulia Hasdeu, Ion Luca Caragiale, Calistrat Hogas, Barbu Stefanescu-Delavrancea, George Toparceanu, Duiliu Zamfirescu, Gala Galaction, Garabet Ibraileanu, Ionel Teodoreanu, Emilia Gavrilescu (whose pen-name was Otilia Cazimir), and many others. Within the monastery has built the “Venerable Mother Parascheva Teological" seminary, which trains not only monastic residents but also lay student as well. The Old Agapia Skete is affiliated to the monastery. The monastic residents who live and serve on the premises forbear to eating meat and meat product. Into this holy place the visitors are not allowed after sundown. |