Bistriţa Monastery

Info

Bistriţa Monastery is located in Bistriţa village, Vâlcea County.

The monastery offers accommodation.

Discover

Built by the Craioveşti family between 1492-1494, the Bistriţa Monastery represents a valuable place of worship of Oltenia.

The monastery became known as the pillar of the Romanian culture due to the fact that in 1508 Macarie the Monk built here the first printing press from Wallachia. This is where the first book was ever published in Muntenia (even though it was in the Slavic language).

The interior of the church is quite impressive with paintings by the famous Gheorghe Tăttărescu. A trail behind the monastery will lead you to the Bats Cave also known as the Cave of Grigore Decapolitul. This is the only cave in Romania which shelters two churches: Ovidenia and The Archangels. You can visit the cave with a guide from the monastery.

Did you know?

The monastery harbours a splendid icon painted on six sides by a monk in 1833. At present, it can be admired only by request.

Conservation facts

The church was devastated after an earthquake in 1838 and rebuilt in the neo Gothic style. The monastery has a museum dedicated to the printing press and religious books.

Weather


Tuesday
-5°C

Wednesday
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Thursday
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