The highest belfry in Moldova is being constructed at “Saint Prophet Ilie” Monastery in Nicoreni village of Drochia district. In accordance with the project, the belfry will be 49 meters high. For comparison, the belfry in Chinua is 41 meters in height together with the cross.

The foundation stone of the new building was laid last April. “The costs of works amount to 15-16 million lei,” the monastery’s abbot, archimandrite Vlasie Ușurelu has told IPN. Asked for how long the construction works will last, the archimandrite said everything depends on the period of time during which the necessary sum of money will be collected and on the number of competent workers who will become involved in the implementation of the project.

“Saint Prophet Ilie” Monastery in Nicoreni is an abbey of monks built thanks to the efforts of archimandrite Rafail Bodiu, being inaugurated in the summer of 1992. He had been the abbot of the monastery since it was founded until 2020, when he died. The monastery is situated on the site of a former children’s camp that was built in 1975 and was closed in 1991. The monastic complex consists of two groups of buildings. After abbot Rafail Bodiu passed away, his place was taken by Vlasie Ușurelu.