The beginnings of the Putna Hermitage date back to the middle of the 15th century. Wanting more peace, a monk named Athanasius from the Putna monastery retreated to a forest three kilometers away. There, he was joined by other hermits, who built a small wooden church.
At the end of the 17th century, the church was destroyed by the Poles, but it was rebuilt with the help of the treasurer Ilie Cantacuzino, during the time of Abbot Lazar, who was a disciple of Metropolitan Dosoftei of Moldavia. The leaders of the monastery who followed him were Teodosie (+ 1715) and Dosoftei (+ 1753).
In the second half of the 18th century, the Sihăstria Putnei experienced a period of prosperity under the leadership of Abbot Sila (1753-1781). During this period, a stone church dedicated to the Annunciation was built, consecrated in 1758, and other works were carried out with the support of the rulers and boyars of the time.
After northern Moldavia was occupied by the Habsburg Empire in 1775, Sihăstria was subjected to many prohibitions. Under the leadership of Abbot Natan (1781-1784), the hermits had to beg to survive, and towards the end of the 18th century, the Putnei Hermitage was abolished, like most of the monastic settlements in Bucovina. The monks and the cult objects were transferred to the Putna Monastery.
On April 24, 1990, when the restoration works began at the Sihăstria Putnei, there were only the ruins of the old church from the 18th century. Among the rubble, the yellow and beautifully smelling bones of the three pious ones were discovered: Silas, Nathan and Paisia.
Sursa: www.sihastriaputnei.ro
