Prislop Monastery: a 16th-century monastery near Hațeg

An old monastery of the Hațeg Country

Prislop Monastery (Mănăstirea Prislop) lies in a quiet wooded valley near the village of Silvașu de Sus, which belongs to the town of Hațeg, in Hunedoara County. It is one of the oldest monastic houses in Transylvania and today one of the most visited monasteries in Romania. A community of nuns of the Romanian Orthodox Church lives here, and the St Catherine theological seminary operates next to it.

The monastery's beginnings are unknown: its lands belonged to local Romanian nobles, who are considered its possible founders. In 1564 the church was rebuilt «from its foundations» by Princess Zamfira, daughter of the Wallachian prince Moise, who settled in Transylvania after her father's death; her broken tombstone with Latin and Cyrillic letters is still kept at Prislop. In the 17th century the ascetic John lived here, venerated as St John of Prislop; the cave where he prayed is shown in the rock above the monastery. From the 18th century until 1948 the monastery belonged to the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church, and from 1948 to the Orthodox Church. In the same year the hieromonk Arsenie Boca came here; he was arrested by the communist authorities in 1950. After 1975 the house was revived as a convent. Arsenie Boca was buried at Prislop in 1989; the Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church later canonised him, and on 28 November 2025 the canonisation of St Arsenie of Prislop was solemnly proclaimed at the monastery.

Why go

Prislop is a place of silence and reflection: a small 16th-century stone church among old firs and beeches, well-kept paths, springs and cells, and wooded slopes above it all. For Orthodox believers it is an important place of pilgrimage; for travellers it is a rare chance to see a living monastery with centuries of history in the heart of the Hațeg Country, close to Roman and Dacian sites.

What to see

• The church of St John the Evangelist of 1564 — built of stone, with a slender tower over the nave, a historic monument of Romania.
• Princess Zamfira's tombstone with Latin and Cyrillic inscriptions.
• The cave of St John of Prislop in the rock above the monastery.
• St Arsenie's grave in the monastery cemetery, visited by pilgrims every day.
• The summer altar for large services and the monastery courtyard with its wooden buildings.

Practical information

Paved roads lead to the monastery: from the town of Hunedoara via the villages of Silvașu de Jos and Silvașu de Sus (about 20 km) or from the town of Hațeg along the same route (about 13 km). The town of Deva is about 40 km away. There is parking near the monastery, but it gets very crowded on major feasts. From Ukraine: via Solotvyno — Sighetu Marmației, then via Cluj-Napoca and Deva, about 410 km.

This is an active convent, so please follow the rules: men in long trousers, women with head covered, in a skirt below the knee and with shoulders covered; speak quietly, do not photograph people at prayer and do not film in the church during services. Entry is free. There is no official timetable for tourists — check before you go. The largest crowds of pilgrims gather on 28 November (St Arsenie), 8 May (St John the Evangelist), 13 September (St John of Prislop) and 14 September (Exaltation of the Cross); on these days the queue to the grave can last hours. Allow an hour for a calm visit.

Nearby

• Corvin Castle in the town of Hunedoara — about 20 km.
• Densuș Church, built of Roman stones — about 20 km.
• Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa — the Roman capital of Dacia, about 25 km.
• Deva Fortress above the town of Deva, about 40 km.

Photos: Leontin l, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Razvan Socol, CC BY-SA 3.0 ro, Wikimedia Commons; Grigroibu, CC BY-SA 3.0 ro, Wikimedia Commons; mihai moise, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.