The monastery of Saint John Cassian, located on the Cassian Hill, in the vicinity of the Cassian Cave and the village of Cassian, was built in honor of Saint John Cassian the Daco-Roman (360-435). The monastic settlement is located in a picturesque landscape, surrounded by hills with meadows and shrubs, preserving an arid steppe landscape, with the Casimcea River and two reservoirs at its foot.
The monastery is located between the Natural Reserves Gura Dobrogei and Cheile Dobrogei. The name of the village Cassian (Vicus Cassiani) can come either from the Latin word "cassus" (empty, deserted), or from the Latin name Cassius, of a Roman colonist. Villages from the Roman period received the name of the most important settler, thus the name of the village Cassian evolved.
In the vicinity of the village of Cassian, on the left bank of the Casimcea valley, the ruins of a Roman village (Vicus Cassiani) were found. During the Ottoman period, the village of Cassian was called Şeremet, which means "worthy man", possibly referring to Saint John Cassian.
At the foot of the Casian Hill, there are two Greek inscriptions dug into the rock, called Pietrele Scrise, researched in 1912 by Vasile Pârvan. The inscriptions, dated from the II-III centuries, demarcated the territory of the "Casians", inhabitants of a village called Casian.
Recent discoveries confirm the existence of a Vicus Cassianus. At Tariverde, 10 km from the Casian Monastery, a stone was found with the inscription "KASIANA SPILOUXA" (Casian Cave), indicating the importance of the cave for the inhabitants of the area, possibly used as a church.
The Casian Cave, located on the northern slope of the Cassian Hill, was inhabited in the late Roman period. Archaeological discoveries show the presence of early Christians who took refuge here. The cave was a place of pilgrimage and has incised signs and ceramic fragments from the c. IV.
The Saint John Cassian Monastery was founded in 2002, after the blessing of the Archbishop of Tomis, Teodosie. The construction of the monastery was difficult, but the monastic community managed to build churches, cells and other necessary buildings.
The monastery can accommodate 70 pilgrims and has a refectory for 100 people. A large church is being built, and its building will house a museum of history and spirituality. In 2002, the relics of Saint John Cassian were brought to Romania, marking the beginning of the new monastic settlement.
Sursa: arhiepiscopiatomisului.ro
