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The Sturdza Castle of Miclăușeni is an architectural jewel, but also a very beautiful area where you can easily spend half a day.
On my trip to Iasi, Miclăușeni was at the top of the list of places I wanted to visit. I have recommended more than 15 sights in and around Iasi here.
This fairytale castle is located about 65 kilometres from Iasi and is simply beautiful! The Sturdza estate in Miclăușeni also includes a beautiful monastery, accommodation and a restaurant where you can dine. This is where I ate my first sage bread and drank the best lemonade with rose syrup, which was picked directly in the monastery garden. Director Sergiu Nicolaescu also shot some scenes from the 2003 film Orient Express here.
The current castle was built by George Sturdza and Maria Ghica in 24 years (1880-1904) in the neo-Gothic style according to the plans of the two German architects Julius Iulius. It has four entrances and 25 rooms, and the façades are richly decorated. Various sculptures, coats of arms, figures, battlements and turrets can be found everywhere.
An unusual and very rare element on the east façade is a sundial. It shows an angel holding a sundial that used to have a staff. Sundials of this type are very rare.
In Iasi, you will find another sundial on the façade of the old Roman Catholic cathedral.
Many tourists are satisfied with the exterior beauty of the castle, but I would also recommend a guided tour of the interior when it is possible again, as the inside of the castle has been restored. I had the opportunity to visit the interior under the guidance of Sebastian Marcoci, also known as Conu’ Miclăușanu. The guided tour with him is a real spectacle.
But as the walls are empty without history, I invite you to learn about the history of the Sturdza estate.
The Sturdza Castle of Miclăușeni, a brief history
The history of the village begins around 1410, when the ruler Alexander the Good gave the lord of the manor Miclăuș a large estate, which was named Miclăușeni after his death. Gradually, the estate became a village inhabited by farmers who worked for the lord of the manor. The estate passed from one owner to another until it came into the possession of the Sturdza family. Ioan Sturdza rebuilt the manor house in 1755 and erected the first walled church on the estate. Ioan later left the estate to his son Dimitrie Sturdza. It was he who laid the foundation stone for the impressive library in Miclăușeni. He also built the current church, which was completed in 1823.
The history of the village begins around 1410, when the ruler Alexander the Good gave the lord of the manor Miclăuș a large estate, which was named Miclăușeni after his death. Gradually, the estate became a village inhabited by farmers who worked for the lord of the manor. The estate passed from one owner to another until it came into the possession of the Sturdza family. Ioan Sturdza rebuilt the manor house in 1755 and erected the first walled church on the estate. Ioan later left the estate to his son Dimitrie Sturdza. It was he who laid the foundation stone for the impressive library in Miclăușeni. He also built the current church, which was completed in 1823.
In 1869, George Sturdza, the youngest child of the Sturdza family, married Maria Ghica, and after a honeymoon trip through Germany, France and Austria, they returned determined to rebuild the manor house in Miclăușeni. It took them 24 years (1880-1904) and a loan of 100,000 lei to rebuild the family’s new mansion and turn it into a neo-Gothic palace, in the same style as the princely palace in Ruginoasa, which I will tell you more about in a later article.
Maria Ghica was born in Istanbul and learnt to paint there. She hand-painted the entire interior of the house, some of which is still preserved. Over the years, impressive and valuable collections of medieval costumes, weapons, jewellery and archaeological artefacts have been kept within the walls of the castle, and the library has a collection of over 60,000 books, many of which are first editions or very rare copies. The family’s motto is: ‘Beauty shines everywhere’.
George Sturdza and Maria had only one child, Ecaterina, who married Șerban Cantacuzino in 1897, but he died before they had a son.
During the First World War, the castle was used as a military hospital. Maria and Ecaterina were nurses and the composer and instrumentalist George Enescu played at the bedsides of the wounded to alleviate their suffering.
Ecaterina Cantacuzino ran the estate until 1944, when she left the palace as the front was approaching. That winter, the Russians harboured German prisoners and devastated the palace. The priceless books collected over generations were set on fire. Some of them were sold in Targu Frumos as packaging for goods. Much of the family’s furniture and collections were also lost. Fortunately, some of the books were saved and ended up in various libraries.
In 1947, Ecaterina became a nun and donated the property to the Roman diocese to build a nunnery. However, after just six years, the communists had the convent demolished, the nuns relocated to Botoșani and the property transferred to state ownership. The castle was used as a military depot and from 1960 it became a home for mentally handicapped children. Eight years later, the attic burnt down, taking with it the last of the original furniture stored there. A second fire, massive thefts and a lack of maintenance led to the building falling into considerable disrepair.
It was not until 2001 that the castle was returned to the Metropolitan of Moldavia and Bukovina, and since then its fate and that of its outbuildings has improved considerably. Today, as part of the Miclăușeni monastery complex, it is on the list of historical monuments in Iasi County. In a conversation with the mother abbess, I also learnt that the monastery is constantly being restored and invested in. The monastery team is responsible for accessing European funds for the restoration of the castle. I was very impressed by how much work is being done in Miclăușeni, how many events are organised and how open the place is to receiving guests. I wish the same for you!
Dana Gont
Text & Images: Dana Gont
