EVO

This series contains adult language and depictions of graphic violence.

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The monastery at Tanaku, nestled in the quiet, undulating hills of northern Romania,

was never meant to be a place of controversy.

It was born from a tradition that spanned centuries,

a tradition where faith was inseparable from the land,

where the Orthodox Church stood as a pillar

against the storms of history. Here, among the fields of wheat and forests untouched by time,

the monastery emerged as a sanctuary for those seeking peace, devotion, and a deeper communion with God.

Its origins can be traced back to the late 20th century,

a time when Romania was shedding the chains of communism

and rediscovering the strength of its religious roots.

The fall of Nikolai Chowchescu's regime in 1989 had left the country in a state of

spiritual awakening.

Decades of state-enforced atheism had failed to erode the faith of the people, and in

the years that followed, Orthodox monasteries saw a resurgence as men and women sought to reclaim their

spiritual heritage. Tanaku was among the many small monastic communities that took shape in this era.

Built humbly, it lacked the grandeur of the great monastery centers like Putna or Susavita.

There were no gilded icons, no ancient frescoes lining its walls.

Instead, it was simple, a place where faith was lived rather than displayed, where prayer and

fasting were the currency of devotion.

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