In Romania there is a unique corner of the country, designed as a refuge and a shelter for a category of vulnerable people.
The Babicilor Hermitage is a unique community located in Jurilovca, Tulcea county, housing a church dedicated to the Protection of the Mother of God, built in 1838.
In this small corner of Romania, there are no male residents, who are only allowed to enter temporarily to work.
In the Midwives’ Hermitage, women in need are welcomed with open hearts, offering them a refuge and support – especially those without shelter and family, giving them the opportunity to live without worries. The women who live in this hermitage are not forced to work, but are encouraged to devote their time to prayer and spiritual life, adopting a nun-like lifestyle.
The local community is another important source of support – providing clothes and food, thus ensuring that the women in this community have no material concerns.
“Here, inside the church, there are some small buildings where old women take shelter. It is a place without the presence of men. Here come women who do not have sufficient material means of subsistence, some even have, but choose to retire here so that they can participate more easily in all church services. The place is known as a hermitage, as it is called in our community,” said Maxim Busla, a local from Jurilovca, a former fishery engineer, according to reports from Libertatea.
The women are housed at the Babicilor Hermitage until the end of their lives and are then buried in the cemetery there.
“These women die and are buried here. They support themselves through the memorials given by people, at memorial services, others also bring them food and provisions outside the memorial services with a hand. Some also bring wood.
They basically stay here and are helped, because there is no service at the church, regardless of the hour or day, that they do not attend. Many come and donate money to them: pray for this person… that he is dead, that it is for recovery, and they, the poor, beat the rosaries here”, added Maxim Busla.
