May 22, 2016

2567 ROMANIA (Alba) - Oaşa Monastery


Located on the territory of Şugag village, in a isolated area at the foot of Şureanu Montains, at 1400m altitude, Oaşa Monastery is an oasis of tranquility, surrounded by forests, valleys and lakes, a perfect place for an authentic spiritual life. It is placed on the shore of the Oaşa Lake, a reservoir on the Frumoasa Valley (how is named Sebeş River before the reservoir), at the border between Alba and Sibiu counties. The nearest human settlement is situated at 40 km.

The history of this monastery (dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and to the Great Martyr Panteleon) began in 1943, when the writers Ioan Pop and Mihail Sadoveanu built a little wooden church on the Frumoasa Valley, where the two often met. The church was improved in the years 1982-1983, and in 1983 was moved in the place where is today, because of the construction of the Oaşa Dam, and the creation of the reservoir, which has a length of 6km

Father Petru Sora of Şugag made some improvements at the end of the 1980s, and in 1990 the church was consecrated, and around it was ordained a convent of nuns. In the years that followed were erected a building for the cells in Brâncoveanu style, a abbey, a refectory, a kitchen, and a tower. Due to heavy winters and difficult access, the nuns left the monastery in 1998, and in 2000 settled there a community of monks. The monks' schedule is very busy - from regular and night services to their daily chores and taking care of the pilgrims that are welcomed here in all seasons.

About the stamp
The stamp is part of the series Flowers’ Clock I, about which I wrote here.

References
Oaşa Monastery - Romguide
Mănăstirea Oaşa (rom) - CrestinOrtodox.ro 

Sender: Oana Drăgoi
Sent from Ovidiu (Constanţa / Romania), on 13.05.2016
 

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