Archeological excavations made between 1955 and 1956 revealed the foundations of a 15th‑century tower now considered to have been the original entry into the monastery precinct. Squarely shaped, with 5‑meter sides at ground level and one‑meter‑thick walls, the tower guarded the gate of the monastery for almost three centuries.

The numerous sieges and arsons, and finally the 1739 earthquake “thoroughly scattered” it, as Metropolitan Jacob of Putna aptly noticed. Therefore, after rebuilding the precinct wall, the worthy hierarch also erected the present gate tower, a bit eastward from the initial one.

Composed of ground floor and upper level, each tower side is 8 meters long at ground level. Up to its eaves, the tower is 10 meters high. It has a four‑sloped pyramidal roof and the ground floor represents the passageway which connects the exterior with the interior of the precinct. The passage is guarded by massive iron‑bound oak gates enforced with blocking bars and equipped with embrasures.

As a homage to the first founder, perfectly visible for anybody who should enter the monastery, a faithful and skillfully made reproduction of the original 1481 dedicatory inscription of Stephen the Great (now lost), was embedded symmetrically, on the outside, into the eastern wall of the new tower.

The inscription testifies to the remaking of the whole complex of the holy prince’s first foundation: “The right‑believing ruler of whole Moldavia, the great Io Stephen Voivode, son of the great Bogdan Voivode, hath built and accomplished this monastery under the patronage of the Most Holy Mother of God, in the times of Archimandrite Josaphat, in 6989 <1481>”.

In the 20th century, the Gate Tower was named the “Eminescu Tower” in memory of the 1871 Great Putna Celebration, when Mihai Eminescu was hosted in the room from its upper floor.

During the Communist regime and afterwards, this room served as exhibition space for commemorative objects – flags, votive urns, paintings, medals – which were brought to the tomb of Saint Stephen the Great at the celebrations from 1871, 1904, 1926, 2004 and on other occasions.