Daniil Sihastru's cell is located in the vicinity of the Putna monastery, about 1 kilometer away, near the place where the Vitelul stream flows into the Putna. This place of worship is located on the side of a hill, carved into a large stone rock, having a small church with a nave, nave and altar, the total size of the place carved into the rock being 9.25 m. Under the rock, it is said that the space where the hermit Daniil would have lived and sculpted both the church and the cell below it is found.
According to tradition, Stephen the Great would have wandered near this rock and would have spent a night in Daniil's cell. The hermit, it is said, would have instructed the lord of the country to build an imposing place in those places, telling him that the building of 44 churches would bring victory in 44 battles. Ștefan Vodă followed this advice, building as many churches and achieving as many victories.
After the construction of the Putna monastery, Daniil's cell became the meeting place of the monks, and the hermit retired to a larger wilderness, near the Voronets stream. Nearby is the Hill of the Cross, where, according to tradition, Stephen the Great shot a bow to decide the location of the church's altar.
At the base of this hill, a clear stream springs up. The legend says that when Ștefan Vodă visited the Putna monastery with his family and courtiers to escape the hustle and bustle of the world in the romantic tranquility of the place, he used to prepare a meal on the green grass, near a spring. The clean and refreshing water of this spring refreshes the great voivode every time, which is why the spring still bears the name "Stephan the Great's Spring".
In 1871, the young Romanians, members of the "Romania Jună din Viena" academic society, excited by the love for the country and the people, organized an emotional celebration on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the consecration of the Putna monastery. Among the organizers were, at that time, the great poet Mihai Eminescu and Ion Slavici.
This celebration can be considered the first gathering of all Romanians, held during the period when Transylvania and Bucovina were under the rule of the Habsburg Empire. With over 3500 participants, the event started in the evening light. From the gate of the monastery decorated with cypress and fir branches stretched an avenue of firs, leading to a festive portico located in the plateau at the foot of the mountain. A triumphal arch with the inscription "Memory of Stephen the Great, the savior of the nation" was erected on the avenue, decorated with the coat of arms of Moldova. On the frontispiece, the lines could be read:
"Stefan, Stefan, big man
There is no one like him in the world
But only the proud sun."
The official speech was given by D. Xenopol, and at the end of the speech, a choir composed of hundreds of students and pupils sang an anthem. Verses were recited and songs performed.
The surprising moment of that memorable evening in Putna was the performance of the taraf made up of 30 violinists, led by Grigore Vindereu, the venerable rhapsodist from Bucovina. With his skill, he captivated the heart of Ciprian Porumbescu during his childhood years.
In an impulse of enthusiasm, Ciprian Porumbescu took the violin from Vindereu's hands and took over conducting the taraf, and the joy of the audience was fully felt. The emotional success deeply impressed Ciprian Porumbescu, ending up crying in his father's arms, exclaiming: "Dad, I sang for the whole of Dacia!"
Source: Bucharest-Suceava and in Northern Moldova (Ministry of Tourism, 1977)
