In 1634, following a long series of unhappy reigns and dramatic events, vornic Vasile Lupu acceded to the throne of Moldavia; he was a wise and enlightened boyar who loved beauty and especially faith. During his rule (1634-1653) Moldavia’s history registered its first cultural thrive. Following the tradition of the great princes of the Musat dinasty, Vasile Lupu began his reign by building a church that was to be unique: "The Three Holy Hierarchs" or the "Trisfetite" of Iasi.

Above the door of the southern entrance one can read the votive inscription of the founder, Vasile Lupu: "By the will of the Father, with the help of the Son and with the partaking of the Holy Spirit, I, the servant of our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ, and worshipper of the Holy Trinity, Prince Vasile, by the mercy of God ruler of Moldavia, together with Lady Tudosca and with our children - given by God - Prince Ioan, Princess Maria and Princess Rucsandra, have built this holy prayer in the name of the Three Holy Hierarchs, St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory the Theologian and St. John Chrysostom. And it was consecrated by Archbishop Varlaam’s hand on the 6^th of May 7147."

Plundered and burned by invaders coming from the East (1650) and from the North (1686), damaged by earthquakes (1711, 1781, 1795, 1802), the church waited for the Independence War (1877) to get over with this succession of humiliating situations. The restoration of the architectural structure lasted from 1882 to 1887 while the paintings and the inside renovation until 1898; the church was consecrated once again in 1904, during the reign of King Carol I of Romania. The building that hosts the Gothic Hall was erected by Vasile Lupu; it was restored several times, the last one in 1960.

A feast of arts, the church of the Trisfetite is an authentic cultural and spiritual centre. Iasi received with devoutness Saint Paraskeve’s relics in 1641; this church was the place where the Synod adopted in 1642 the famous Confession of Orthodox Faith written by Metropolitan Petru Movila, whereas in 1645 the same church witnessed the anointment of the Patriarch of Jerusalem.

Most of the interior elements, commissioned in Vienna and Paris between 1889 and 1890, were offered by King Carol I and Queen Elizabeth. The princely chairs and the archbishop’s, the pews etc. made in gold plated bronze with enamel and ivory insertions replace the former exotic wooden pieces sculptured in Istanbul. The present-day chandeliers are also made of golden bronze, decorated with ostrich eggs; they replace the old ones that were made of silver but disappeared before the restoration works.

Vasile Lupu’s "Schola Basiliana" (1640), the future Princely Academy, as well as the printing press that was installed here and which produced in 1643 "The Romanian Book of Teachings" (Varlaam’s Homiliary) are aspects that give the Three Hierarchs (besides the name of "Monastery of the Patriarchs") the name of "Monastery of the Teachers", this name being also confirmed by the history of the Romanian education in the 18^th century. Fulfilling the universal vocation of the Orthodox Church, this centre of Romanian spirituality was to be the starting point of the Greek Independence War (1821).

The first signal for the liberation of Greece was given in the monastery’s premises by Alexander Ypsilanti who read a proclamation (28^th of February 1821) stating the objectives of the Filiki Eteria in the war to free the Balkan peoples.

The church reopened in July 1994 as a monastery with communal life and daily services.