The Piatra Fântânele monastery, dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, was initiated in 1928 by hierodeacon Vasile Luncan, who built a prayer chapel. The idea of a religious place is, however, older, linked to the promises of the 2nd Border Regiment of Năsău to the inhabitants of the Someșului Valley to move to the Bârgăului Mountains, where they were promised land and a church.
After the Great Unification, the peasant Vasile Lăzurcă, helped by the priest Constantin Flămând, obtained permission from the Diocese of Cluj to build a monastery, and Bishop Nicolae Ivan approved the bringing of a monk. Vasile Luncan was chosen for this mission.
The construction of the wooden church began in September 1928 and was consecrated in November 1929. The iconostasis was carved between 1933 and 1937, and the icons were painted by Emil Mihon. Under the care of Proto-Singlish abbot Luncan, the place was endowed with various valuable religious objects, including an icon of the Mother of God from Mount Athos and other donated icons. The monastery survived the hortist occupation, but was transformed into a myrrh church in 1960, under the communist regime.
In the 80s, Father Petrinca and the faithful restored the cells and other facilities of the monastery. In 1995, Metropolitan Bartolomeu Anania re-established the monastery, bringing here 23 nuns under the coordination of Abbess Pamfilia Solcan.
Since then, the monastery experienced a period of prosperity, with the construction of a new monastic complex with various facilities. In 2014, the construction of a new church began. The nuns support and educate over 20 children from the mountain villages every year, whom they send to school.
Sursa: www.protopopiatulbistrita.ro
