Brâncoveanu Monastery

Transylvania

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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.

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