“Nasterea Sf Ioan Botezatorul” Church from Varatec Monastery was built in 1817 and its first destination was as church of the cemetery where they performed the religious services for the dead. In time the village of nuns grew and the cemetery became too small: so they moved it and the church became a place where the nuns performed the usual daily religious service. The church is located on a small hill at about 150 m from the monastery. Initially the church was made out of wood but in 1844 the construction was remade out of stone.

The present day building has a basilica plan with three wooden towers where you can clearly see the Baroque influences. The interior of the church is separated in two by a massive arch. In the south west of the church was built a veranda with a bell tower made out of wood.

The painting from “Nasterea Sf Ioan Botezatorul” Church was made by two monks: Silvestru (Balanescu) Pitesteanul and Ghenadie (Enaceanu) Craioveanul. Beside the usual religious figures that you can see in any Orthodox church the painters included figures of nuns and benefactors: Tecla, Epistimia, Varvara, Glicheria, Pulheria, Evghenia and Fevronia.

The nuns painted on the walls of the church represent true icons and real models of what it means to live a religious life. So the decision of painting these figures is to serve as an example for generations of nuns. On the altar walls you’ll see paintings of the holy hierarchs and on the vault The Holy Trinity. The painting of this church is a reminder of the paintings made by Nicolae Grigorescu at Agapia Monastery.

This church is frequently visited by tourists because here you’ll see the tomb of Veronica Micle, the muse of our National Poet, Mihai Eminescu.