Mănăstirea Celic Dere

Celic Dere Monastery lies in northern Dobruja, on the road between Tulcea and Isaccea, in a landscape of wooded hills that contrasts with the dry steppe around it. The name comes from a Turkish phrase referring to a nearby stream, a reminder of Ottoman rule over the region. The settlement was founded in the second half of the nineteenth century by monks who came from Romanian-inhabited areas south of the Danube, and it quickly became an important centre of faith for the local community.

The complex includes a large painted church, cells arranged around the enclosure, and a museum of religious art with old icons, ancient books, and embroidery made by the nuns. The place is known for its calm atmosphere and for a communal style of monastic life, where the nuns tend the household and the vineyard. Visitors can combine a spiritual stop with a walk through the surrounding hills.