As the local convent was the only functioning monastery in the Soviet period Japca village (about 160 km north of Chisinau) is already fairly well known to visitors of Moldova. Since the foundation of Japca monastery in the XVII century the building itself bore a strong resemblance to a real fortification.

The first mention of the monastery goes back to 1693, the time when the monks lived inside monastic cave cells and also worshiped in the cave church. In the 1770’s the monastery became established in its present current location.
Then the construction of farm buildings and improvement of the monastery began, encompassing the founding of a rich library.  At the beginning of the 19th century stone churches were being built. The most important church within the monastery was rebuilt several times and today it has in it three altars - Ascension of the lord, Transfiguration and Holy Cross.

The conservatism of the monastic community produces strong impression to today’s visitors. The monastery is open for daily. Other tourist attractions within the area are the geo- paleontological monument "Rock Japca", a mineral water spring , nature reserve and Valya Rascov Adynke, an ancient fortifications and paleontological sites in Falcon and Rascov . In Kamenka acts sanatorium "Nistru".