Mănăstirea Tismana

Tismana Monastery is the oldest monastery in Wallachia, set in Gorj county, near Targu Jiu, in a spectacular natural setting in the Valcan Mountains. Founded in the fourteenth century by Saint Nicodim of Tismana, the founder of organised monasticism in Oltenia, the monastery rises on a high rock, at the foot of which a mountain stream and a waterfall flow. The picturesque position, between forest and cliffs, gives it a special atmosphere of contemplation and beauty. The church preserves old paintings and precious liturgical objects, and over the centuries the monastery was an important cultural and defensive centre.

In times of hardship, valuables and treasures of the country were sheltered here. Today, the community of nuns keeps the living tradition of the place alive. Tismana is a destination of pilgrimage and a wonderful natural corner of sub-Carpathian Oltenia, worth the journey for its history and scenery.