Turnu Monastery

Turnu Monastery is one of the most sacred Christian monastic dwellings of the Râmnic Diocese. Situated on the opposite bank of the Olt River from Cozia Monastery, sheltered by Cozia Mountain, Turnu Monastery was, for centuries, a very remote and unreachable place. Coming from the South, the only way of access was by taking the cart from Jiblea, and, after reaching Cozia, by sailing across the Olt, then walking along the river. From the North, the only connection was made by the paths going up the mountain and then descending in Loviştea Valley villages.


The name of the monastery comes from a massive tower, located on a rock called Teofil`s Peak, which was built by the Roman legions of the Arutela Roman Camp, in the 2nd century. Its ruins are still there, in the Bivolari Clearing, somewhere lower than the hydro-electric power plant. Turnu Monastery was first called “the convent behind the tower”, then Turnu Convent and finally Turnu Monastery.


History tells us that, in the 15th and 16th century, some monks left Cozia Monastery and lived isolated, in completely poverty, sheltered by caves, shacks and wooden houses; among those hermits,the most renowned were Daniil and Misail, whose caves lasted until today. At the middle of the 16th century, the hermits built a small wooden church, establishing Turnu Convent. In 1676, after being promoted as Bishop of Râmnic, the Father Superior of Cozia Monastery, Varlaam, gives very special attention and care to the hermits in Turnu. Becoming Metropolitan of Wallachia, he builds another church, made of stone and brick, located on the grounds of the former wooden chapel. Here he sheltered the relics of Daniil and Misail and since that time, Turnu Convent became a settled monastic place, protected by Cozia Monastery. Between 1893 and 1901, Gherasim Timus, Bishop of Argeş, decided to build a summer residence at Turnu. The old church was destroyed by fire in 1932 - 5 groups of houses with 26 rooms, 2 sheds, the old refectory, the belfry, the dome of the small church, the altar screen with all the icons - only Gherasim Timus's house and the velley cells escaping.


The Bishop Nichita Duma build a new church, a square-shaped, storeyed building. having prayer precincts at the ground floor and at the first floor. It has a central cupola, with access on the exterior stairs, which have been recently built on the southern facade. A school of church singers had been functioning here by the year 1939, and between 1959-1975 the Turnu Monastery was closed and transformed, in resting house for the Râmnic and Argeş Diocese. Between 1994 and 1996 the western wing of the building has been restored and the ground-floor refectory became a bigger church, appropriate for the many believers coming to the monastery. The 25 monks living here live a very austere life and they never eat meat.

Olt Valley

There is a place in Romania where nature has managed to stay unspoiled by civilisation, where a whirling river is flowing through spectacular gorges, and its banks boast centuries old churches and many spas, where people can find peace of mind and a perfect place to rest their bodies. The Olt Valley is one of the most spectacular and beautiful areas in Romania, country's uppermost, between Căpăţânii, Lotru and Făgăraş mountains.


Olt River rise close to the headwaters of the Mureş River in eastern Transylvania (Hăşmaş Mountains) at an elevation 1,800 m. It is 496 km long (the longest Romania's interior river) and flows south through the southern Carpathian Mountains to enter the Danube River near Turnu Măgurele, opposite Nikopol. There are several resorts and spas along its course through the mountains.

The panoramic view of the Olt Valley is fascinating both in summer and winter time and has been a place of interest for 2000 years now. The river was known as Alutus or Aluta in Roman antiquity. During the conquest of Dacia, the Romans settled in the valley and built a road and fortresses. Actually, until 1990, one could see traces of a vineyard, dating back to the first century AD, when Sarmisegetuza was Dacia’s capital. What is still left are the ruins of the Romanian Castrum, where people gather on feasts and celebration days because they love to spend time amidst the nature they are so proud of.


The Olt Valley stretches from the Cozia Monastery up to the gorges. Cozia Veche (Old Cozia) is the entrance point to the Olt Gorges. The 80 km long route between the south and the north of the country, trough Carpathians, is accessible on the National Road 7 or European Road 81. The Cozia National Park covers both banks of the Olt River, and the scenery is breathtakingly beautiful. The departure point is Căciulata, passing through Cozia, by the Cozia Monastery, erected by ruler Mircea the Old. Worth visiting is also the Old Cozia, near the Basarab Mountain; then cross the river on the dam of the Turnu power plant. This is actually the first hydro power plant built on the Olt River and also the largest. On the right bank of the river one can visit the Arutela Castrum and the Arutela tourist complex. The trip can continue with a walk, through the forest, to the Turnu Monastery, and then to the Stănişoara Monastery. If you like mountaineering, it is worth taking a walk to the Cozia and Turnu Monasteries. Both are isolated in the Cozia Mountains, which are beautiful irrespective of season. In summertime, they are all shiny and green, while in autumn the range of colours is rich in shades of green, red and yellow.


Twenty kilometers north, we find the Cornet Monastery, and after some other twenty kilometers we reach Turnul Spart (The Broken Tower), remains of fortifications of custom between Wallachia and Transylvania. At the end of the Olt Gorges we can admire Turnu Roşu (the Red Tower), a castle of the Austrian empress Maria Tereza.