Legend of Poiana Mărului Hermitage
This hermitage is located on the border between the communes of Bisoca and Jitia. Legend has it that the glade in the middle of the forest was guarded by an old apple tree, hence the name Apple Glade.
In the clearing there was a sheepfold, the shepherds being the only people who knew the area. They had their hut and sheep stable on the site of the future monastery, next to the old apple tree. It is said that night after night the shepherds saw a light in the hollow of the apple tree like a lantern, but none of them had the courage to see what was hiding in that place, but during the day nothing could be seen. One summer evening they received some guests, three monks looking for a quiet place to build a monastery. When they saw the light, they searched the hollow and found an icon of the Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus Christ, inscribed with the year 1110. The icon was discovered, according to legend, between 1464 and 1480.
The monks together with the shepherds built a hermitage which was the beginning of Poiana Marului Monastery. In 1771 the church burned down completely and between 1771 and 1784 a small wooden church was built, which can still be seen today.
The area of Poiana Mărului is considered to be out of Romanian fairy tales, the apple orchard surrounding the hermitage is quite rare for a mountain area. Poiana Mărului Monastery is surrounded by oak and beech forests, the numerous trophies dotted along the forest road, placed either by monks or by the faithful, give you a feeling of peace and peace of mind. The smooth path, lined with fir trees and bordered on either side by fences, leads pilgrims to the hermitage. To the south, north and west are the guest house, the chapels, the monks’ cottages, the trapezes and the archdeaconry, all part of the Poiana Mărului Monastery, dedicated to the Nativity of Our Lady.
The interior life lived at Poiana Mărului could not keep away the attention of those who supported the erection of the hermitage, the trust they planted in the monastic community of Poiana Mărului.
Source:www.dinbuzau.ro