Monasteries

If you’re interested in the Romanian culture and want to understand more about the Romanian people, you must visit some of the monasteries. It is said that the Romanians were Christian even before they came together as a people, and the region where Romania is now situated was visited and christened by Apostle Andrew. As a result, we have numerous monasteries throughout the country, which have predominantly Byzantine paintings, and represent some of the most beautiful and widely visited tourist attractions from our country.

Voroneț Monastery was built in 1488 and is voivode Ștefan the Great’s most prominent establishment . It is one of the most well-known and visited monasteries from Moldova, and is appreciated for its uniqueness, given by the so called colour “Voroneț blue”. It was the Sistine Chapel of the East due to its superb paintings.

Moldovița Monastery is one of the most important and old monastic establishments. The church is also painted on the exterior and was built in 1532 under the rule of Petru Rareș. The Byzantine and Gothic architecture styles were combined here to create one of the most beautiful monasteries of Moldova and a symbol of Orthodox religious culture.

Putna Monastery is one of the most renowned churches of this type from Moldova and was established in 1466, under Ștefan the Great. It is now a monk monastery and an important religious as well as cultural and artistic centre, and includes a museum.

The Monastery St. Andrei’s Cave is located in the Dobrogea region. The cave was discovered in 1918, but only in 1990 a couple of local priests started planning and re-building the cave. Inside, they found an icon of St. Andrei the Apostle. At the present, the monastery has 2 churches, after 1990. The smaller church holds the relics of St. Andrei.

Argeș Monastery is located in Curtea de Argeș and dates back to the 16th century, when it was built by voivode Neagoe Basarab. It is famous for the legend of Master Manole, who sacrificed his wife Ana by building her in the church’s walls in order for the building to last.

The Black Church is located in Brașov, and was built in a Gothic style, at the beginning of the 10th century. This patriarchal church of the Evangelical Church in Romania is one of the most representative Gothic architectural monuments of the country. It was partially destroyed in a fire in 1689 and that is how it got its name. This is a place where classical music concerts are organized, and the church contains a famous pipe organ.