Brâncoveanu Monastery

Transylvania


Wondrously decorated with carved columns, apocalyptic frescoes and gardens with barely a petal out of place, Brâncoveanu Monastery is as pristine as its mountain backdrop. Named after its original founder, Wallachian prince Constantin Brâncoveanu (1688–1714), a few dozen monks still live here, meditating in the glittering Orthodox church and fashioning the glass icons for which Sâmbăta is famous. Ask for entry to the onsite Glass Icon Museum to see examples.

Founded in 1696, Brâncoveanu Monastery has been a lightning rod for spirituality in the Făgăraş Mountains ever since. Restorations between 1929 and 1936 polished up the belfry and added stone colonnades. Today it's popular with Romanian visitors. Bring a bottle to fill with holy water from the marked urns, if you want to take a splash of spirituality home with you.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Transylvania attractions

1. Făgăraş Citadel

13.75 MILES

Encircled by a moat fringed with willow trees, Făgăraş Citadel is an impressively intact fortification from medieval Transylvania. The oldest part of this…

2. Valer Literat Museum

13.78 MILES

In the inner courtyard of Făgăraș Citadel, this excellent museum traces the region’s history from 4000-year-old pottery fragments via medieval suits of…

3. Castelul de Lut Valea Zanelor

14.37 MILES

Resembling a gnome village, the Castelul de Lut complex has been created from clay, sand and pure whimsy. The self-styled 'clay castle of pixie valley'…

4. Șinca Veche Cave Monastery

18.58 MILES

Mystery and awe hang thick in the air in Șinca Veche. Natural light pours through an opening in the ceiling of a cave-shrine; the faithful arrive to stand…

5. Fortified Church

28.91 MILES

The whitewashed and tile-roofed fortified church in Viscri is a splendidly restored feat of medieval engineering. Its outbuildings display decorated…

6. Libearty Bear Sanctuary

29.56 MILES

Not enough time to join a bear hide excursion to see these impressive carnivores lumbering through their natural habitat? Libearty Sanctuary is the next…