In 1994 and 1995 two archaeological campaigns were carried out in the Probota Monastery before the UNESCO & Japan Trust Fund project started. These campaigns mainly investigated the interior of the church and the architectural remains partially visible in the south-eastern part of the monastery compound.

The archaeological site before the current campaigns

Inside the church, in the burial chamber, there were four sumptuous crypts with finely carved white marble tombstones set on red stone socles. These belong to the family of Petru Rares, the prince who built the Probota monastery. He is buried here with his wife Elena and his son Stefan. Their crypts were built at the same time as the church. The fourth tombstone is of his grandmother Oltea-Maria. Later, three smaller tombs were added for children.

Tombstones of Elena and Petru Rares in the burial chamber	A brick crypt in the pronaos

In the exonarthex there were 12 tombstones at floor level - these had been removed from their original place in the pronaos. Before the excavations, no tombstones were visible in the pronaos, but archaeologists discovered one tombstone and 15 graves, 13 of which were crypts.

Outside the church, 4 more tombstones were found bringing the total number of tombstones found to 21. Among the 29 graves, (6 without crypts), only 15 could be exactly identified and placed in relative chronology. Those of the pronaos have been dated to the 17^th and 18^th centuries. Like many sites worldwide, plundering destroyed the archaeological record.

During the second half of the 19^th century the church underwent partial repairs. At the time, the original brick floor was replaced with a stone floor and original thresholds were removed. Only the exonarthex threshold and a step leading from the naos to the altar remained unchanged. Remains of the brick floor were found, mostly in the naos. The floor here was laid in a more elaborate fashion than the simple rows through the remainder of the church.

During the same 19^th century renovation, a new iconostasis was placed about 30 cm further west, which damaged the mural paintings both on the north and the south walls. The placement of a pulpit in the north-west corner of the naos, and a staircase leading up to it, perforated the wall which also damaged the mural. The Gothic windows of the exonarthex and the pronaos were walled in and made smaller.

Archaeologists got new information about the windows from an unusual source. Inside plundered tombs, they discovered scattered pieces of bones, jewellery and clothing, but finding there also broken stone mullions from around the windows and glass panes surprised them. While the panes were not stained, over 30 metres of broken mullions were painted. This debris, swept into the graves, gave a precious glimpse into the polychromy of the church window design.

A hat brooch discovered in a grave in the pronaos	The signet ring of Treasurer Simion Stroici found in his grave

The excavations brought to light the techniques used to build the original church. As the ground slopes up from east to west, builders first levelled the construction site. The foundation ditches were then filled in with stone boulders and mortar. The foundation consists of stone masonry on top of which the brick walls were laid directly.

To excavate the floor of the chancel inside the church, the iconostasis needed to be removed. Beneath the chancel lay the original brick floor, and the original post holes for the iconostasis. The floor of the sanctuary was about 35 cm higher than the floor of the naos, so a step must have led up to the sanctuary. The investigations inside the church ended in April 1997.

Original brick floor in the chancel

In the summer months of 1997, 1998, and 1999 the southern side of the monastery compound was excavated. Four distinct buildings dating from the 16^th to the 19^th century were found. These included two major buildings the functions of which remain unclear. On top of these buildings, smaller structures were later built. A map of the archaeological site

The archaeological site during the 1997 campaign

The architectural remains consist mainly of walls composed of local sandstone bonded with lime and sand mortar of variable quality. Fired bricks were used for the most significant structures of the site belonging to construction B: a vaulted rectangular cellar supported by piers and a vaulted stairway providing access down to it. Bricks were also used for features identified as oven plinths. The construction dated to around 1640. It was destroyed violently, probably by the 1793 earthquake.

The site remained in partial use until the end of the 19^th century. Some evidence of interior and exterior wall plaster survived on several buildings, most of it concentrated in construction B, in the room leading to the vaulted stairway.

Brick oven plinth

A skull with a brick pillow	"Here rests the slave of God archmandrite Sofronie"

Another building was discovered against the southern boundary wall, built after the year 1550 (stage D). It had a kitchen, a refectory and a few monastic rooms. The building is made of stone masonry and was possibly finished with carved stone frames. It was partially destroyed and then restored (stage C) at the same time that construction B was erected.

In the same area, archaeologists unearthed a very unusual find: a hoard of forty lead ingots, weighing from 65 kg up to 99 kg each. Most likely, the lead was meant to cover the roof of the church. The historical record shows that the church of Putna Monastery was once covered with lead sheeting.

Lead ingots found on the site

The 1998 campaign discovered the remains of two large buildings. Construction G was built before 1640. Only its foundations remain. Construction H has cellars with two bays, an access gallery, and a pavement of stone slabs on its southern side. Construction H was built after 1550. It was abandoned and demolished systematically. No signs of demolition were found outside the cellar walls. Neatly stacked masonry, and cellar entrances purposely obstructed with stones led archaeologists to this conclusion.

A well with a diameter of two meters was discovered and was dated to the period of use of buildings G, D, and H. It was very carefully built of shaped stone. Before the construction of building B, there had also been a water pipe made of ceramic tiles. Other pieces of terracotta, both glazed and simple and mostly decorated, had been used for the ovens.

The remains of construction H

During the excavations the team of archaeologists found pieces of pottery from as early as the 16^th century. Nails and fragments of tools, such as knife blades and arrow heads, were also recovered. Musical instruments, very small mouth harps, 5-6 cms only, amused the archaeology team.

Coins issued in Poland, the Kingdom of Hungary, the Holy Roman Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and Sweden came to light. Curiously, none minted by the Moldavian state were found. Stefanita, the half brother and predecessor of Petru Rares, had minted coins, but none were struck during the reign of Petru Rares. Instead, Hungarian coins served as currency in Moldavia.

A ceramic jug from the 17th century	Clay pipes

An enamelled bowl	A ceramic tile

The buildings unearthed at Probota are unrivaled in northern Moldavia. The size, number and types continuously provide new information. Still, many hypotheses remain unconcluded and may have to wait for future excavations.