Determining the location of Saint Nicholas Metropolitan Orthodox monastery in the village of Rașcov, Camenca district (17th century - late 18th century)

The degree of study of St. Nicholas Monastery was analyzed, the empirical material was systematized, a the research methodology was developed, new sources were analyzed, the testament of Mrs. Rozanda, the protocols of general visitations of the Rașcov churches in 1726, 1731, and 1783, the reports of the Podolsk priests of the 19th century and the previous comprehensive historical and urban planning studies of Rașcov in 2016-2017 were considered. Based on various archival sources and their analysis, the authors established that St. Nicholas Monastery existed at the beginning of the 18th century. It performed defensive functions, and was an important church-administrative unit, and Rașcov was one of the administrative centers of the Dniester region. It is determined that St. Nicholas stone church was a monastery; after its destruction in 1714-1726, it operated as a parish church; after being burned by the Tatars in 1769, later it gradually deteriorated. It has been established that there were trading shops on the territory of St. Nicholas Monastery and its church after their destruction. Based on the understanding, generalization and comparison of the factual and archival material, the monastery’s location was determined, and its coordinates were given. The site of the monastery was verified by a graphical-analytical method. Arrangements have been made for the renovation of the monastery territory, which is necessary for the revival of the national memory connected with the history of Moldova and Ukraine in the 17th-18th centuries, as well as for the development of a historical and architectural support plan of the village Rașcov and of strategies for the protection of its cultural heritage.