History
The ensemble of Frumoasa Monastery is located in Iași, in the southern part of the city, on the top of a gentle hill, between the Cetățuia and Galata hills, dominated by two other monasteries, historical monuments.
A first place, dedicated to the Holy Archangels, was built here between 1583-1586, by Melentie Balica, the hetman and his wife, Ana, on the place received as a gift from the lord of Moldavia, Petre Șchiopul. First mentioned in documents on April 10, 1587, the church was dedicated to the Transfiguration Monastery on Mount Sinai.
At the beginning of the 18th century, bad times and bad administration led to the ruin of the monastery. Gregory II Ghica will take care of its restoration in the middle of his first reign (1727-1733). The church is restored, the surrounding wall and the bell tower are built, royal houses, but also a garden with a large pond. At the same time, the monastery is endowed with rich donations. Through these transformations, the name of Frumoasa, given to the place today, will be established.
A third stage in the evolution of Frumoasa Monastery, when the ensemble will receive the appearance we know today, takes place in the first half of the nineteenth century (1819; 1836-1841), through the efforts of Archimandrite Ioasaf Voinescu, who will become the -the third founder. He will first build the Palace on the walls, rebuild the bell tower in neoclassical style and then the church, adding the patron saint of the Assumption.
After the secularization of the monastic fortunes (1863), Frumoasa became a parish church, the ensemble temporarily housing a barracks, a military hospital and a primary school. Some repairs were carried out between 1951-1955. In 2003 the ensemble was reactivated as a monastery, where a community of ten nuns currently lives here.