Subiect: Sfântul Nicolae church of the former hermitage 44 de izvoare from Pietreni, Costeşti, Vâlcea County is founded by the hieromonk Ştefan, abbot of the monastery Bistriţa and being helped by the hieromonks Epifanie and Nicodim, as says the inscription carved in stone at the top of the entrance. Made of limestone, known in the area as sigǎ and brick, it is a rectangular church, the apse of the altar is trilobite (distinctive architectural element in the context of the architecture of the churches in Vâlcea) and with no steeple. The church was repainted in 1778-1779, with the expense of the abbot of Bistriţa, the hieromonk Gregory and other monks from Bistriţa. During the archaeological research of the summer of 2010, when the preservation and restoration of the monument was made, 12 graves were discovered near the foundation of the church, and in the porch the grave of the hieromonk Pahomie, probably one of the founders as mentioned in the long list from 1701 and kept at the Library of the Romanian Academy. Elements which confirm the existence of an earlier wooden church have been discovered. After the preservation works are finished, the mural painting will be restored, and thus, one of the most valuable monuments of ecclesiastical art and architecture of Vâlcea County will be given to the tourist circuit.
