Cozia Monastery: Mircea the Elder's burial church on the Olt

Mircea the Elder's foundation

Cozia Monastery (Mănăstirea Cozia) stands on the right bank of the Olt, where the river cuts through the Southern Carpathians, at the northern edge of the spa town of Călimănești, in the Căciulata district. It was founded by the Wallachian ruler Mircea the Elder (Mircea cel Bătrân, reigned 1386–1418): the main Church of the Holy Trinity was built in 1387–1391 and, according to the founder's charter, consecrated on 18 May 1388. At first the monastery was called "Nucet", the walnut grove; later it took its name from Mount Cozia, which rises above the valley.

Mircea the Elder chose the monastery as his burial place, and his tomb is still in the church. The monastery was one of the earliest centres of writing in Wallachia: charters from 1415 mention a monastic school here. In the early 16th century, under Prince Neagoe Basarab, the murals were renewed and a stone fountain was built in the courtyard; in 1542–1543 an infirmary church was added; and in 1706–1707 Constantin Brâncoveanu added an open porch in his own style. The monastery later went through 19th-century repairs, the use of the church as a stable during the First World War, and a long restoration in 1958–1980. Today it is an active monastery of monks under the Archdiocese of Râmnic of the Romanian Orthodox Church.

Why go

Cozia is a rare chance to see late-14th-century Wallachian architecture almost in its original form. The church façades, built of alternating bands of stone and brick with stone rosettes, follow models of the Serbian Morava school, and scholars believe Serbian craftsmen worked here. The monastery also lies right on the road from Transylvania to Oltenia, so it is an easy stop between Sibiu and Râmnicu Vâlcea, with a mineral spa next door and the trails of Cozia National Park above.

What to see

• The Church of the Holy Trinity, built on a trefoil plan, with alternating stone and brick bands, vertical mouldings and stone rosettes on the façades.
• The tomb of Mircea the Elder inside the church; the prince's remains were reburied on 15 May 1938, and archaeologists examined the tomb again in 2025.
• The frescoes of 1390–1391 in the nave, among the oldest in Wallachia, with later renewals from Neagoe Basarab's time.
• The Brâncovenesc porch of 1706–1707, with arcades, murals and a commemorative inscription.
• The infirmary Church of the Holy Apostles (1542–1543), painted by master David and his son Raduslav, including portraits of the founders.
• The corner chapels on the walls above the Olt, the stone fountain in the courtyard and the monastery's museum collection of 16th–19th-century icons on wood, liturgical silver and old Romanian books.

Practical information

Address: Calea lui Traian nr. 816, Căciulata, Călimănești. The monastery stands right by the DN7 (E81) national road, about 3 km north of the centre of Călimănești, about 20 km from Râmnicu Vâlcea and about 80 km from Sibiu. There is parking by the monastery; buses stop nearby, and the railway along the Olt has stations in the area. From Ukraine the simplest route is via the Porubne – Siret or Diakivtsi – Racovăț crossing and on through Transylvania to Sibiu, from where the road follows the Olt valley south.

According to the museum database of the National Heritage Institute (cIMeC), the monastery welcomes visitors daily from 6:00 to 22:00; phone +40 250 750 852 and +40 744 109 208, e-mail [email protected]. Official sources do not state any admission fee. Information as of November 2026 — check before you go. This is an active monastery of monks: dress modestly (shoulders and knees covered; women may find a headscarf useful), speak quietly, do not disturb services and take photographs inside the church only with permission. Allow about an hour for the visit.

Nearby

• Turnu Monastery with its rock-cut hermit cells — about 2 km upstream along the Olt.
• Cozia (Ciuha Mare) — the summit of the Cozia massif above the monastery, in Cozia National Park.
• The Vâlcea Village Museum in Bujoreni — an open-air museum about 15 km south.
• Horezu Monastery — a UNESCO site about 60 km west.
• The Călimănești–Căciulata spa with its mineral springs, right next to the monastery.

Official website: arhiepiscopiaramnicului.ro

Photos: Andrei Stroe, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Michal Gorski, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; MIHAIL, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Cristian Bortes, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons; Andrei Stroe, CC BY-SA 3.0 ro, Wikimedia Commons; CristianChirita, CC BY-SA 3.0 ro, Wikimedia Commons.