Turnu Roșu Monastery

Turnu Roșu Monastery lies in the commune of Turnu Roșu in southern Sibiu County, about 3 km from the village, on the road that climbs towards the Făgăraș Mountains. It should not be confused with Turnu Monastery at Călimănești in Vâlcea County. It is an Orthodox monastery dedicated to the Dormition of the Mother of God. A brick inscribed with the year 1601 survives from the old monastery. The church was destroyed in 1761 by the Austrian general Adolf von Buccow, as part of the campaign against Orthodox monasteries in Transylvania under Maria Theresa. The present church was built by the villagers around 1850 and painted in 1989 in Neo-Byzantine style. In 1994 the monastery was refounded and consecrated by the Metropolitan of Transylvania, Antonie Plămădeală. Nearby, east of the village of Turnu Roșu, is the Turnu Roșu-Porcești Eocene Limestone nature reserve, covering 60 hectares, with Eocene fossil fauna. From the monastery a forest road continues to the path that climbs to Suru Peak on the main ridge of the Făgăraș Mountains.