Visit Sinaia Monastery in Romania

Sinaia Monastery is one of many tourist attractions in the mountainous town of Sinaia in central Romania. This is an impressive place to visit in the Prahova Valley, and it’s easy to find while climbing towards the town’s main attraction, Peles Castle.

I also visited it on my way to Peles Castle. However, once I spotted the monastery while planning, I had to pop in for a look around.

History of Sinaia Monastery

Prince Mihail Cantacuzino founded the monastery in 1695. He named it after the great Saint Catherine’s Monastery on Mount Sinai in Egypt. Mount Sinai is reputed to be where Moses received the Ten Commandments. The name resulted in the town being called Sinaia.

It was designed to serve as a monastery and as a fortified stronghold on the route from Brasov to Bucharest.

The most troublesome event here was during the Russo-Turkish War, from 1735 to 1739. The monks deserted the monastery. However, before leaving, they hid the valuables by burying them inside a bell. The Ottoman troops defeated those stationed within the walls of the complex. They then burnt the area and broke through the wall in two places.

Current Monastery

Currently, it is home to 13 Christian Orthodox monks; it is part of the Bucharest archdiocese. On my visit, some monks were going about their business, including doing a spot of gardening.

The site contains two churches, the Old Church and the New Church, which are free to enter. Sinaia Monastery is a gated complex with two courtyards surrounded by buildings and walls. You can access it via the main gate on the way to the Peles Castle car park.

Churches at Sinaia Monastery in Romania

In both courtyards, there is a small church built in the Byzantine style. These are the Old Church and the Great Church. Both are impressive to look at from the outside and inside. You can photograph the churches from the outside; however, photography is not permitted in the newer Great Church. Possibly because it is still a place of worship.

Biserica Veche – The Old Church

The Biserica Veche, the Old Church, is the older of the two. It dates from 1695. The Old Church is 15 metres long, 15 metres high, and 6 metres wide. It is built with both stone and brick. The church has thick walls, sometimes exceeding 1 metre.

The church has been recently restored and was closed between 2006 and 2016 to complete this work.

They decorated the porch of Biserica Veche with beautiful stone columns. Most of the paintings in the porch area are original. The paintings in the dome represent scenes from the life of Saint Catherine, who was the protector of the monastery on Mount Sinai; Saint George, who is the protector of Moldavia and soldiers; and Saint Demetrios, who is the protector of Wallachia.

On either side of the entrance, there are scenes of heaven and hell. The dark figures representing hell are interesting. I have seen heaven and hell on other church entrances in the country.

Biserica Mare – The Great Church

The newer church, the Biserica Mare, or Great Church, was built in 1846. It is stunning both inside and outside and has some fantastic paintings on the walls. The wooden furniture inside is nice too, some of which is grand.

Alongside the church is a small building for people to light candles for a variety of reasons. Many light candles for the dead or the living.

Museum

The museum here opened in 1895. This was the first exhibition of religious objects in Romania. The museum has collections of religious icons and crosses from the 17th century, the very first Bible in Romanian, and many other precious objects. You can peruse the museum, which is open every day except Mondays, from April to October, 10:00-16:00. However, during the winter, the museum is only open for groups of 20 or larger.

Bell Tower

Completed in 1892, the church added a large bell tower to the walls. The tower contains a 1700 kg bell which was brought from the Colţea Tower in Bucharest.

Prices

The churches were free to enter, as was the courtyard; however, they had donation boxes to which you could donate notes or coins. The entrance fee to the museum is 5 lei, which translates to about £1.

Is Sinaia Monastery Worth Visiting?

This is a rather impressive set of buildings with a fantastic history. The artwork on the walls of both churches is a must-see if spending time in Sinaia.