Old Orhei Cave Monastery

Carved into a limestone cliff above a bend of the Raut River, this cave monastery is the spiritual centre of a wider archaeological landscape of ancient settlements north of Chisinau. Monks hollowed cells and a small church directly from the rock, and a whitewashed bell tower now marks the entrance on the clifftop. The surrounding valley holds traces of fortresses and towns spanning thousands of years. Visitors descend into the candlelit rock chambers and climb the ridge for panoramic views over the meandering river and terraced fields below.