Cerebuc-Bicaz Hermitage

We can arrive at the Saint Ilie (Cerebuc) hermitage by travelling 7 km from the axial road that is between Izvorul Muntelui ( Mountain Spring) village and Durău. Cerebuc hermitage with the Saint Prophet Ilie’s festival is a monk hermitage that belongs to the Monastery from Ceahlău Mountain. This was founded on the place of an older hermitage in the year 1614, after that remaining as a fallow land and being refounded in 1996. The hermitage is situated 20 km far from Bicaz and belongs to Izvorul Alb (The White Spring) village, Neamţ.

Presently, five monks are living there and the Superior is the abbot Gherontie Muntean. This hermitage played an important role in the maintaining of the hermitage tradition from Ceahlău Mountain, especially in the XVIIIth and XIXth centuries, perod when numerous recluses had their living there These recluses maintained for a long period the bell board and the bell on Ceahlău Mountain, as well as the traditional festival from the 6th of August, in this way, keeping a strong realationship with the other monastic establishments from the area.

At the beginning of the XXth century, Cerebuc hermitage becomes a fallow land and, even though, the faithful ones, together with a priest, gathered here every year untill 15th of August in order to keep the tradition of these places and to celebrate the churchţs festival. Every time the Holly Mass was made on the ruins of the church, as well as a requiem at the cemetery for the monks prayer.

Beginning with the year 1995, the Abbot Gherontie Munteanu managed to found the present hermitage, Cerebuc, helped by the natives who donated their land, then he built a church and some cells.

The present monastic establishment is situated in Poiana Cerebuc, in a place of an unique beauty and it also has got a church and some cells. The church is built of wood and it is covered with chapboard. Inside, the walls are adorned with a real extremely beautiful painting, and the rood screen is from sculpted oak tree. The nave has large and deep pews, being lighted each by a window in the southern and northern part. On the nave it is built a big open octogonal spire,lighted by four windows.