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“Metropolitan Jacob of Putna” Cultural Center

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“Metropolitan Jacob of Putna” Cultural Center

The need for the “Metropolitan Jacob of Putna” Cultural Center took shape in 2004, during the restoration of Maria of Mangup’s tomb cover. The project was led by Mihai Lupu, an expert in chemical analysis, and Ileana Maria Crețu, a textile restoration specialist.

The foundation stone for the Cultural Center was laid in 2016.
The foundation stone for the Cultural Center was laid in 2016.

With the blessing of His Eminence Archbishop Pimen, the project was financed by the National Investment Company under the leadership of Ms. Manuela Pătrășcoiu. Construction was carried out by General Construct SRL of Suceava between 2016 and 2019.

Originally envisioned as a textile restoration lab, the project was expanded to include spaces needed for the monastery’s growing cultural mission: a conference hall and a permanent exhibition space—facilities the monastery had previously lacked. Additionally, the icon-painting studio, the sewing and bookbinding workshops were relocated into newly designed, purpose-built rooms. The library was also expanded, now housing a spacious archive with a modern preservation system and several reading rooms used by both monastics and visiting students or researchers from Romania and abroad.

Completion of works at the “Metropolitan Jacob of Putna” Cultural Center, May 2, 2019.

In 2021, thanks to the support of the Suceava County Council, a team of restorers from the Restoration Laboratory of the National Museum of Bukovina worked in the Center in preparation for the 150th anniversary of the 1871 Putna Celebration of All Romanians, organized by Mihai Eminescu and fellow Romanian students. Several heritage items were restored in the Center’s laboratory, including two epitaphia, a number of tricolor ribbons, and the flagstaffs of the banners once gifted to the monastery.

Using high-performance equipment, experts from the National Museum of Art and the National History Museum conducted physical and chemical analyses of the materials used to create the items from the monastery’s treasury. This research honors both the craftsmanship of past generations and their spiritual dedication to creating lasting beauty for the glory of God.

On May 2, 2019, in the presence of several local and national officials, the project was officially completed, and the “Metropolitan Jacob of Putna” Cultural Center was formally handed over to the monastery’s care.
The opening of the exhibition “Silver on the Water and Gold in the Air,” by master painter Horea Paștina, May 6, 2023.
A moment on May 6, 2023, at the opening of the exhibition “Silver on the Water and Gold in the Air,” by master painter Horea Paștina, held in the “Dan Hăulică” Exhibition Hall of the Cultural Center.

The “Metropolitan Jacob of Putna” Conference Hall hosts events such as the Putna Colloquia, the annual symposiums in honor of Mother Benedicta, and various other spiritual and cultural gatherings—including clergy conferences and synaxes of abbots and abbesses from the Archdiocese of Suceava and Rădăuți.

Since its opening, the “Dan Hăulică” Exhibition Hall has hosted a series of significant temporary exhibitions: “The Bukovina Village” (2019), “Mother Benedicta: 100 Years from Birth” (2020), “The Putna Celebration – 150: Continuity of an Ideal” (2021), “Mysterious Time: Dan Hăulică: 90 Years from Birth” (2022), “Silver on the Water and Gold in the Air” (2023).


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