Sabaoani commune is the biggest rural settlement from Neamt County and also one of the oldest and biggest Catholic communities from Moldova. With a population of over 11.000 people, Sabaoani commune is located in the north-east of Neamt County, at about 8 km to the north from Roman.

Here, in this historic place, the old ways of crafting the objects used in traditional households are kept alive by local artisans. The most common crafts in Sabaoani are weaving and spinning used to produce different fabrics. These traditional handmade objects are made by women and still play an important role in a traditional house.

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One of the local artisans is Mrs. Maria Robu. She and her students from the workshop “Centrul de Tapiserie” are keeping these traditions alive. Maria Robu teaches annually over 100 kids from Sabaoani some of the secrets of producing traditional fabrics. It’s very important to realize the hard effort and the patience needed in keeping these traditions alive.

The fabrics from this area are created in plain colors that are not too saturated: light green, burgundy, black and floral decorations. The threads used for weaving are 100% natural. The artisans use the wool of the sheep, the hair of goats, hemp or cotton. The decorations that can be seen on these fabrics are “the tree of life”, “the horns of the ram” and “flower motives”.

Here are some of the traditional objects that local artisans like Maria Robu are making:
Small purses (locally called “traistute”) – these objects are handmade at loom. The threads used are from hemp and the decorations and colors represent Sabaoani commune.
Tapestries – these objects are used as ornaments in traditional houses. The fabrics are made out of wool and hemp. The decorations are the Tree of Life, Floral Motives and the Horns of the Ram.
(Ie) Traditional folk shirt – this is a traditional Romanian piece of clothing. These fabrics are weaved with fine threads and have different decorations around the neck, shoulders, sleeves, chest and on the edges.

Maria Robu makes all these objects with patience and passion. You can find Maria Robu at the Center “Centrul de Tapiserie” from Sabaoani together with her students. Some of the objects Maria Robu makes can also be seen at the Diecezan Catholic Museum from Moldova that you can visit in Sabaoani commune near the old Catholic Cathedral.

Location of the workshop: from the road that goes from Hanu Ancutei to Roman, you make a right towards the center of Sabaoani commune. After about 2 km, on the right you’ll find the workshop of Maria Robu.
Telephone: +(40) 761 507 923