Rudi Monastery (formerly known as Rughi Monastery) is located in the village of Rudi, Soroca district, 170 km from Chisinau. It is a nunnery. The monastery is located in the heart of the Rudi-Arionești natural complex, not far from the Dniester.
According to legend, the ruler of Moldova, Grigore Ghica, fell ill and none of his healers could cure him. One day, a peasant knocked on the gates of the princely palace asking to be received by the Vodă, since he had a secret cure. But in order to be cured, the Vodă had to leave his throne for a month. So Ghica-Vodă, accompanied by the peasant, left Iași for the Rudi estate. There the ruler was treated with grapes, fresh must and old wine. After a month of rest and plenty of fruit, he returned to Iași healthier and stronger than ever. As a sign of gratitude, later, in 1777, he built the famous Rudii Monastery on this blessed estate, on the banks of the Dniester. Since then, the monasteries of Moldova continue to make wines from grapes picked from their own vineyards, which they use for Communion, but also for uvotherapy (care through grapes, must and grape seeds).
The beginnings of this monastic complex date back to 1777, when, with the blessing of Bishop Inochentie of Huși (1752-1782), on the estate of the brothers Andronachi and Teodor Rudea (the two Rudii) and with the financial support of the merchant Donciul from Movilău (Podolia), a stone church dedicated to the Holy Trinity was built in the Moldavian style. This fact was recorded, in the Slavonic language, in a writing that has been preserved to this day: "In the name of the patron saint of the Most Holy Trinity and of Saint Nicholas, this temple was built in the days of the glorious lord Grigore Alexandru Ghica Vodă and with the blessing of the most holy Chir Inochentie, bishop of Huși, with the perseverance and care of the blessed founder Simion Donciul, merchant from Movilău, on the estate of the above-mentioned Andronachi Rudea and his brother Teodor Rudea. Year 1777, June on the 1st." Another inscription says: "In the name of the Holy Trinity, in the days of the blessed lord Grigore Alexandru Ghica, with the blessing of bishop Inochentie of Hușilor, in the year 1777, June 1
From the form of the Holy Trinity church of the Rudi hermitage, from 1835, we read: We do not have our own land, the nuns' cells are built from rubble, 19 in number, we do not receive maintenance subsidies from anywhere. The owner Mihail Boguș, by forcefully seizing the Rudi family estate, the orchard, the vineyard, the pastures, the prisaca, further ruined the monastery. "As a punishment for the crimes committed", in 1845 Boguș's daughter, Anastasia, suddenly dies, and a year later his other daughter, Ana, passes away. At the age of 62, he also passes away. The Boguș family was buried on the grounds of the hermitage abandoned by the nuns in 1846: currently a slab is still preserved on the left side of the church, bearing the name Mihail Boguș, who died in 1856. Next to him are the graves of his daughters. On the left wall of the narthex in the church there is another funerary inscription: Here rest the bodies of the founders of the holy place Teodor and Andronachi Rudea.
The church that remained from the Rudi hermitage was closed in 1846 by decision of the diocesan authorities and was placed under the supervision of the parish in the village of Rudi de Jos. Later, when a certain Mihail Rosea, a close relative of Boguș, became the owner, it was transformed into a dwelling for servants. Meanwhile, the monastery was abandoned: the houses fell into disrepair, leaving only their foundations, a stone arch that was the gate of the hermitage, and the church left without a roof.
The Rudi Monastery resumed its activity on October 24, 1921, when, through the efforts of Archimandrite Visarion Puiu, its restoration was approved. During World War II, the monastery was governed by Abbot Ioachim Bărbuș, under whose authority there were 30 monks.
In 1948, the archpastor Benedict of Chișinău was forced by the Soviets to close the Rudi Monastery. The property of the holy place was confiscated, and the monks took refuge in other monasteries. After this, a children's home was installed in the monastery, and later the monastic complex was transformed into a children's pulmonology hospital, also having a school. The Holy Trinity Church was also used as a warehouse. The hospital was evacuated in 1990 and until 1992 the monastery remained deserted.
In 1992, three monks came and settled in the Rudi monastery: Father Melchisedec and two more monks who in 1993 began the reconstruction of the monastery and in 1999, the nuns returned to Rudi.
After 2015, the towering fir trees between the church and the former hospital building were cut down, which shaded and cooled the complex in summer, and in winter they stopped the cold wind.
Regarding the architecture, the observations of the engineer-architect Nicolae Tiganco are relevant, in the study "Rudi Monastery", published in 1928