Olimpiada, together with her confessor Father Iosif, began building a wooden church with the title "The Dormition of Virgin Mary". Near the church they built cells, in which many nuns came to live, thus founding Văratec Skete. Together with Mother Olimpiada, Father Iosif is also considered a founder of the monastery. He was born around 1750, in the village Valea Jidanului in Transylvania, and entered the monastic life at an early age, becoming a novice of the renowned monk Father Paisius Velichkovsky, while the latter still resided at Dragomirna Monastery. Father Iosif died on 28 December 1828, and is buried in the narthex of the main church of the Monastery, "The Dormition of the Virgin Mary." He was sanctified as a Saint in 2005, and he is celebrated on 16 August. In 1787, the Văratec Skete was unified with Toplița Skete to form a larger and better organized monastic settlement. Toplița Skete, founded more than 250 years earlier, was based in the middle of the village of Topolița. Upon uniting these two sketes, the nuns moved from Topolița to Văratec. In the following year the nuns from Durău Skete also came, with their superior Mother Nazaria, who was appointed Superior Mother of Văratec Skete. Schema nun Nazaria led the monastery between 1788-1814, with the help of Father Iosif. Monastery development In 1803, Metropolitan Veniamin Costachi of Moldavia wanted to establish a seminary for priests at Socola Monastery in Iași, so he decided that the 50 nuns from Socola were to be moved to Agapia Monastery, which thus became a women's monastery. By the Metropolitan's decision, on 10 July 1803, signed by the boyars from the royal court, Văratec Skete was then for a short while united with Agapia Monastery. By another decree of the Metropolitan, on 23 September 1803, a monastic craft and general knowledge school was established in the two monasteries, where nuns could learn liturgical music, Greek language, as well as embroidery and weaving. The Metropolitan also moved nuns from three other sketes: Prapa Doamna in Iași, Gârcina and Vânătorii Pietrii from Neamț County. The number of nuns in Văratec grew considerably with these additions, By 26 September 1811, Văratec had 273 nuns, out of which 197 nuns and 76 novice sisters. These were separated according to their social origin: 33 boyar daughters, 59 merchant daughters, 105 peasant daughters, 23 daughters of dignitaries which lost their functions, 51