The Poeniţa-Moară archaeological area brings together settlements from the Late Bronze Age and the Middle Ages. These traces of the past give Hârtoape a long historical horizon. They are joined by the history of two churches, the location of the former settlement of Poieniţa on the Siret, and a street layout that makes it easy to find your way around. If you are considering Hârtoape as a destination, you can understand the place through these specific themes: the settlements belong to different periods, while the churches’ construction dates and later works mark further chapters in the area’s history.
Poeniţa-Moară: Two Settlement Periods
The Poeniţa-Moară archaeological area is located in the area of the former settlement of Poieniţa, on the northwestern edge of Hârtoape. It includes a settlement from the 15th century, classified as medieval, and a settlement from the Late Bronze Age, associated with the Noua culture. The association with the Noua culture therefore concerns the Bronze Age settlement; the medieval classification applies to the 15th-century settlement. If you are interested in early history, this distinction helps you tell the two periods apart. Together, they span a broad period of time without representing the same phase of settlement.
Poieniţa between the Siret and Hârtoape
Poieniţa lies southwest of Hârtoape on the left bank of the Siret and is now part of Hârtoape. In 1834, Poieniţa was classified both as an estate in the Suceava area, in Ocolul Siretului, and as a hamlet of the village of Hârtoapele. These designations belong to an earlier period and should be distinguished from Poieniţa’s present-day status as part of Hârtoape. The area’s history thus brings together a historical classification from 1834 and the present-day relationship between the places.
Street Layout and Orientation
The former settlement of Poieniţa has wide, parallel streets crossed by perpendicular streets. This layout makes it easy to find your way around. The clear street pattern offers a concrete way to understand the settlement’s layout; apparently, Poieniţa was laid out according to a topographic plan prepared by Spiru Haret. The attribution to Haret is qualified with “apparently,” while the parallel and perpendicular street pattern describes the layout.
Two Churches, Different Building Histories
The Church of Sfântul Mare Mucenic Dimitrie in Hârtoape was built in 1881 under the care of priest Sava Dăscălescu. In 1959, it received Byzantine-style oil paintings by the painter Ioan Zmeu of Roman. After repairs, consolidation work, and restoration of the paintings, the church was reconsecrated on September 10, 2000. These dates mark different stages in its history: construction was followed by the painting and, later, work on the building and the paintings.
Poieniţa also has its own church history. The Church of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel was built intermittently between 1966 and 1978 on the site of a former bell tower. Compared with the Church of Sfântul Mare Mucenic Dimitrie, whose construction is dated to a single year, it belongs to a later building phase and was built over several years, with interruptions. The construction date and restoration phases of one church, and the longer, interrupted building period of the other, mark different timelines.
Cultural Traditions from Poieniţa
At a Șezătoare in Poieniţa, Paparuda was performed, an old ritual game to invoke rain. Traditional costume was also reintroduced to the villagers. Other contributions included traditional songs, religious singing, sayings, poems, and old calls. The gathering thus featured music and singing as well as spoken cultural forms and the sharing of traditional costume.
Discover more destinations: Iaşi, Deleni, Hândrești, Valea Adâncă, Valea Lupului, Pașcani, Miclăușeni, Muncelu de Sus
For the broader travel overview: Iasi.
