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If you happen to walk down the Dniester riverbank, through a forest of unseen beauty, you will find yourself on the former estate of the Capriana Monastery, which was offered as a gift by Alexandru Lăpuşneanu (1560) along with other neighboring villages. It is mentioned for the first time in official documents in 1595, however, it was probably also mentioned during the times of Alexander the Good (1418). Certainly, these places hosted human settlements much earlier than the appearance of the present-day village. The archaeological discoveries (1951) serve as evidence for that, with objects dating back to about 5 millennia ago. The legend says that the name of the village derives from the “scaieti rai” (which translates as “bad thistles”) plants, although the village was also called Resegniate and Riscopita (as it appears on the old maps).
It is also worth mentioning the name of one of the possible founders of the village – Raschev. It is also believed that the name comes from the word “raschirati” – the ancestors’ houses stretching a long distance at the turn of the Dniester river. Legend has it that in the past, these lands were not owned by anybody. Only the flocks of sheep herded by the shepherds from the Carpathians would come here to graze on the pastures. A lot of thistles used to grow on the rich, but deserted land. While the sheep wandered around, the thistles would latch on to their wool, making the shepherds talk with indignation about how bad (rai) were the thistles (scaieti) around here. Many of the shepherds stayed here with their flocks, digging for themselves little burrows in order to survive the cold winters. The shepherds liked the places a lot, and some settled here permanently, giving it the name Rascaiti.
Several written sources confirm indirectly the existence of an old church in this village. Alongside it, a parochial school was run since September 1, 1861. Rascaieti is one of the most picturesque villages in the district due to its location in the vicinity of the steep banks of the Dniester (170m in depth). From this point, visitors can openly see the entire meadow. Traces of an old fortification (probably a ramification of the Trajan’s Wall ) can be seen south of the village, as well as the “Post” (where the merchants from the commercial road leading to Cetatea Alba would stop), the meadow lakes (Ochiul Mare and Ochiul Mic, from over Garla, Japsa as well as Sambatoaia Mare and Mica). The “Lomakin Height” (178.8 m) is also located in this village. It is the place where during World War II the Soviet division no. 353 fought fierce battles. Close to the village, there is a passage over the Dniester river. The village of Rascaietii Noi is part of the commune and was given the name of Odaia in 1924.
RECREATION PLACES
The beach of Stanoste, Chetrusul, he meanders of the Dniester, the lakes of the pond (Ochiul Mare), Bogdan hill, etc., The Well from Carari, at the Oak, at the Radi, Unghiul Lung, Sambatoiul.
EXCURSIONS AND LOCAL VISITS
in the hearth of the village (1560), where the “St. Gabriel and Michael ” church (1793/1850) is, which was erected on the site of an older church; the protected natural area east of the village in the Serpent Hill with steppe vegetation, on the right riverbank near the Dniester meander between the Rascaieti and Purcari villages. Here, one can visit picturesque landscapes (Geamana valley, Bogdan hill, The Cliff or “Lomakin height”, the Bridge, the “Bordei”) and 3 water springs.
INFORMATION
The Natal Land Museum (1957, located in the Culture House with sections of paleontology, archeology and ethnography), Rascaieti City Hall.
