Saint Nicholas Monastery, Predeal

Saint Nicholas Monastery in Predeal is an Orthodox convent located at 12 Mănăstirii Street, in the resort town of Predeal, Brașov County, at an altitude of about 1,030 m, at the wooded foot of Mount Clăbucet — Predeal being the highest urban settlement in Romania. The monastic settlement traces its origins to a wooden hermitage founded in 1774 by hieromonk Ioanichie, with the blessing of chief cupbearer Grigore Buzoianu, dedicated to Saint Nicholas the Hierarch. The hermitage was destroyed in 1788, during the Russo-Turkish War, and rebuilt through the efforts of abbot Ioanichie, funded by Ioan Buzatu. The current stone church, dedicated to Saint Nicholas, was built in 1819 by abbot Gherman, in Byzantine style, with frescoes by Nicolae Zugravul; it has a rare feature — its iconostasis has only two doors instead of the usual three. Between 1835 and 1844, a second, larger church was built, dedicated to the Dormition of the Mother of God, under abbot Ghermano's guidance. The entire complex — the hermitage and both churches — was declared a historic monument in 1919. Until 1926, the monastery provided religious services for the local community, before the Predeal parish was established. In 1958, the communist regime shut down the monastery, under Law no. 410; it was only re-established in 1993, as a convent, through the efforts of Metropolitan Antonie Plămădeală of Transylvania. The painting of the Dormition church was done entirely by painter Iosif Vasu, between 1960 and 1961, while the Saint Nicholas church's painting was restored in 1976. The monastery today functions as an active center of monastic life and is one of the few Orthodox religious complexes in the mountain area of the upper Prahova Valley. It is reached directly from the center of Predeal, about 300 m from Predeal railway station, connected by rail to Brașov (about 26 km) and Bucharest (about 130 km), with regular trains year-round. Saint Nicholas Monastery is worth visiting for its turbulent historical significance, its representative ecclesiastical architecture within the Romanian Orthodox tradition, and the unique setting of Romania's highest mountain resort town.