The "Adormirea Maicii Domnului" basilica of Causeni was built during the 17th-18th centuries, the frescoes found inside date back to the year 1763. A detail that distinguishes the basilica is the fact that it was built on land located on the below ground level which makes it appear, when observed from a certain distance, to be buried in the ground. It cannot be ruled out that the reason for this strange construction is due to the will of the Ottoman occupiers who controlled the Causeni area in the 18th century. This monument of Moldavian sacred art has immense artistic and historical significance for the country. The town of Purcari, located about 120 km south-east of the capital, is globally recognized for being the production area of the most delicious Moldovan wines, especially reds. This area, which is wedged between the self-proclaimed Moldavian Republic of Beyond Dniester and Ukraine, enjoys fantastic exposure to the sun for its vines as well as the influence of a relatively mild climate due to the proximity of the Black Sea which provides the right degree of salinity of the clay soil in the area. The smooth slopes rolling gently along the right bank of the Nistru River near the village of Purcari once belonged to the Afono-Zagrafsky monastery. Thanks to these excellent characteristics, this area has attracted many farmers since ancient times who settled there to grow vines. Documented historical facts narrate that the monastery forced the farmers to pay a duty on the production of grapes which was around 1/10 of the total, furthermore the religious forced the farmers to take extreme care of the vines to preserve their excellent quality. It was during the period of the Russian Empire that this area received a great impetus in the development of the wine industry. In 1827 the first production holding company was created in Purcari and was called Hermanson, a name due to a German founder of Russian origin. From this moment Purcari became a point of attraction for many other foreigners who settled there; French (with their native vines), Germans and Russians. Subsequently, during the 19th century, the Russian prince Golytsin and Count Vorontsov who controlled the production of the area had the inspiring idea of replacing part of the native grapes (with low alcohol content) with some varieties coming from Western Europe (especially French) which fit exceptionally well into the morphological and exhibition context of this territory. Grapes such as: Cabernet-Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Game Freo and Pinot, all grapes with very high yield as well as increased sugar accumulation. Nowadays Purcari is characterized by its high production of collectible wines such as Negru and Rosu de Purcari, its excellent Cabernet-Sauvignon de Purcari, Pinot Noir de Purcari and the Kahor dessert wine.