If you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and find a different kind of tranquility in which to soothe your soul, we recommend you to visit Cernica Monastery, located about 20 km from Bucharest.

Cernica Monastery - History

The Cernica Monastery has a rich history, rooted in the 16th century. In 1603, in the forests of the old Codrii of Vlasiei, the nobleman Cernica Știrbei built a church dedicated to St. Nicholas on the site of an old monastic church. This was the beginning of the history of the Cernica monastery, a future monastic, spiritual and cultural center.

Over the centuries, the monastery underwent extensive renovations and extensions, and under the influence of the reign of Constantin Brâncoveanu in the 17th century, the main church was built in the style of the time, marking the presence of the Brâncovenan style in the architecture of the monastery.

Throughout its history, Cernica Monastery has been a shelter for monks and people of culture. Between 1900-1904 the poet Tudor Arghezi was a monk in Cernica monastery. 

Moreover, Cernica Monastery has also witnessed significant moments in Romania's history. During the Ottoman occupation, the monastery was a place of resistance and preservation of national and religious identity.

During the communist period, the monastery was subject to pressures and restrictions and was also affected by the 1977 earthquake. After the Revolution in 1989, monastic life and religious activities experienced a revival and the monastery once again became an important center of Romanian Orthodox spirituality.

 Cernica Monastery – a place of rest for the soul 

With an impressive architecture and an atmosphere full of tranquility and recollection, the monastery attracts both those eager for meditation and contemplation and those interested in the beauty and history of the place. 

The three paracels of the monastery are "The Assumption of the Virgin Mary", built in 1790, "St. John", built in 1842, and "The Entrance into the Church". 

The main church, dedicated to the "Assumption of the Virgin Mary", impresses with its frescoes and architecture in the typical Brancovan style.

Within the monastery there is also a monastic library, which shelters many old and precious volumes, testimonies of the rich past of this monastic settlement. Also, the monastery gardens, carefully tended by the monks, offer a haven of tranquillity and beauty for those who wish to retreat and connect with nature.

In the cemetery of Cernica monastery, an open-air museum, there are ancient funerary monuments of aesthetic and historical value, as well as the tombs of important personalities of Romanian culture and spirituality, including the painter Ion Țuculescu, Metropolitan Nifon, pianist Johnny Răducanu, singer Zavaidoc, actress Stela Popescu, director Geo Saizescu, film director Marioara Murărescu and many others. 

Cernica Monastery is also an important center of pilgrimage, especially on religious feast days, when many believers come to pray and worship the miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary of Cernica.

With a long history and a special atmosphere, Cernica Monastery remains a place of spiritual refuge and a special destination for all those seeking peace and spiritual upliftment.

In the midst of nature, far away from the noise and bustle of the city, here you can find a retreat in which to retreat and connect with yourself and spirituality. Whether strolling through the monastery's manicured gardens or sitting inside the church, the tranquility allows you to gather your thoughts and relax.