# Bat Cave at Bistrița (Vâlcea)

[Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Oltenia](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/oltenia) › [Vâlcea County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/valcea) › [Costești](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/locality/costesti-valcea)

> The cave of St Gregory Decapolites, in the Bistrița Gorges near Bistrița Monastery, with two churches built inside: Ovidenia (15th c.) and the Holy Archangels (1633); it shelters bats.

**At a glance:** Monasteries in Costești, Vâlcea County. Opening hours: Monday–Friday 11:00 – 15:00, Saturday–Sunday 11:00 – 16:00. The visit takes ½ – 1 hours. Information verified on 30 October 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** Monday–Friday 11:00 – 15:00, Saturday–Sunday 11:00 – 16:00 — From Monday to Friday it is visited in groups of at least 10 people; on Saturdays and Sundays individuals and small groups can come too, with a guide at the cave. The visit depends on the weather. Visitors announce themselves at the church's donation desk at the monastery and ask for a guide; outside the opening hours and without a guide, entry into the reserve is not allowed.
- **Visit duration:** ½ – 1 hours — with guide and the walk
- **With kids:** Yes — a few steps, damp galleries
- **Best season:** All year round — on days with good weather
- **Address:** Bistrița Gorges, ~400 m north of Bistrița Monastery (DJ 646, Bistrița village), Costești, Vâlcea County
- **Coordinates:** 45.19192, 24.0404
- **Phone:** +40 745 607 680
- **Website:** https://www.manastireabistrita.ro
- **Wikipedia:** https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pe%C8%99tera_Liliecilor_(V%C3%A2lcea)
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q18545376
- **Categories:** [Monasteries](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/monasteries), [Caves](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/caves)

## About Bat Cave at Bistrița (Vâlcea)

St Gregory Decapolites' Cave, also known as the Bat Cave, opens in the wall of the Bistrița Gorges, north of Bistrița Monastery in the commune of Costești. It is ~250 m long with two entrances, and inside, besides galleries with a small infiltration spring, there are two churches and hermits' cells. According to tradition, the relics of St Gregory Decapolites were hidden here in times of danger, which gave the cave its name.

Monks lived in the cave from the 17th century into the 20th; Father Veniamin Micle counts 24 of them. Metropolitan Matei of Myra took shelter here at the end of 1610, and in 1860 Alexandru Odobescu deciphered the inscription of the Church of the Holy Archangels. After 1959, when the monastery was closed, the cave passed to the Vâlcea County Museum, which electrified it; since 1998 it has been in the care of Bistrița Monastery again.

### What you can see

**Ovidenia Church**, dedicated to the Entry of the Mother of God into the Temple, is the oldest monument in the cave: a foundation of the hieromonk Macarie, abbot of Bistrița, from the end of the 15th century. Its nave measures only ~3 × 2.2 m, the altar is carved into the rock, and the paintings were redone in 1649, 1769 and 1828. **The Church of the Holy Archangels**, raised in 1633 by Metropolitan Theophilus, a former abbot of Bistrița, stands in front of the cave's large opening (~12 × 10.5 m) like a house under the rock vault; it has a pronaos, nave and altar, and was restored in 1781–1782 and in 1829, after fires set by looters. Traces of painting are still visible on the walls, covered by inscriptions scratched by visitors.

### Good to know

Bats roost on the ceiling of the main gallery, so the cave is entered only with the monastery's guide. The cave is part of a nature reserve and of the Buila-Vânturarița National Park.

## Don't miss

- Ovidenia Church, the oldest in the cave, with its altar carved into the rock.
- The Church of the Holy Archangels, built under the vault of the large opening, above the Bistrița.
- The main gallery, with bat colonies on the ceiling.
- The old paintings on the church walls, redone in 1649, 1769 and 1828 at Ovidenia.

## Good to know before you go

### Getting there

**By car:** the cave is in Bistrița village, commune of Costești, ~43 km (~1 hour) from Râmnicu Vâlcea and ~14 km (~20 minutes) from Horezu. Take the DN 67 as far as Căline, then the DJ 646 (strada Arnotei) to Bistrița Monastery; from there a ~400 m path leads north, starting in the monastery courtyard.

### Rules

The visit is made with the monastery's guide. Do not disturb the bats: no flash, no noise, and do not enter the galleries where they roost. The churches are in use: modest dress. Within the Buila-Vânturarița National Park: wear mountain footwear.

## Details

- **Construction period:** late 15th c. – 1633
- **Denomination:** Orthodox
- **Total length:** 250 m
- **Inside temperature:** 14 °C
- **Altitude:** 750 m
- **Developed and lit:** Yes
- **Guided visits only:** Yes

## Frequently asked questions about Bat Cave at Bistrița (Vâlcea)

**What are the opening hours of Bat Cave at Bistrița (Vâlcea)?**

Opening hours at Bat Cave at Bistrița (Vâlcea): Monday–Friday 11:00 – 15:00, Saturday–Sunday 11:00 – 16:00. More under “Opening hours”.

**How long does a visit to Bat Cave at Bistrița (Vâlcea) take?**

A visit to Bat Cave at Bistrița (Vâlcea) takes about ½ – 1 hours (with guide and the walk).

**Can you visit Bat Cave at Bistrița (Vâlcea) with kids?**

Yes, Bat Cave at Bistrița (Vâlcea) is suitable for children (a few steps, damp galleries).

**How do I get to Bat Cave at Bistrița (Vâlcea)?**

Bat Cave at Bistrița (Vâlcea) is located at Bistrița Gorges, ~400 m north of Bistrița Monastery (DJ 646, Bistrița village), Costești, Vâlcea County. More under “Getting there”.

**When is the best time to visit Bat Cave at Bistrița (Vâlcea)?**

The best season for Bat Cave at Bistrița (Vâlcea): All year round (on days with good weather).

## Nearby attractions

- [Bistrița Monastery (Vâlcea)](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/bistrita-monastery) — Monasteries · Costești, VL · ½ – 1 hours · 1 km
  A late 15th-century foundation of the Craiovești boyars at the entrance to the Bistrița Gorges: it keeps the relics of St Gregory the Decapolite and the little infirmary church of 1520–1521.
- [Arnota Monastery](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/arnota-monastery) — Monasteries · Costești, VL · 45 min · 1 km
  Matei Basarab's foundation of 1633–1634, on a limestone spur above Bistrița Monastery: a small princely church, painted in 1644, which holds the prince's tomb.
- [Wooden Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God in Grămești](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/wooden-church-of-the-dormition-of-the-mother-of-god-in-gramesti) — Churches · Pietreni, VL · 30 min · 4 km
  A wooden church of 1664, founded by Metropolitan Stephen I, standing on a high limestone plinth with Cyrillic inscriptions on its outer walls, at the edge of a fir forest.
- [Horezu Monastery](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/horezu-monastery) — Monasteries · Horezu, VL · 1 – 1½ hours · UNESCO World Heritage · Top 20 · 5 km
  Constantin Brâncoveanu's largest foundation, officially Hurezi Monastery: the model ensemble of the Brâncovenesc style, built in 1690–1693 and a UNESCO site since 1993.
- [Horezu Ceramics – Olari Village and the Potters' Workshops](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/horezu-ceramics-olari-village-and-the-potters-workshops) — Villages and traditions · Horezu, VL · Free · 1 – 1½ hours · 7 km
  Olari Street in Horezu, lined with family workshops where red clay is thrown on the wheel and painted with roosters, spirals and the tree of life; a craft inscribed by UNESCO as intangible heritage in 2012.
- [Trovants Museum (Muzeul Trovanților)](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/trovants-museum) — National parks and reserves · Costești, VL · 45 min · 8 km
  A geological reserve on the edge of the DN 67, near Horezu: dozens of trovants, the rounded sandstone “living stones”, emerging from the sand of a former quarry at Costești.

## Featured in the guides

- [Caves in Romania: the ones you can visit, by area, with a map](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/guides/caves-in-romania) — 37 caves in Romania you can visit, by area: Bears' Cave, Scărișoara, Women's Cave, Ialomița, Polovragi. What is open now, tickets, map, what to bring.

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Other languages: Română: https://peplaiuri.ro/pestera-liliecilor-bistrita.md · Deutsch: https://peplaiuri.ro/de/fledermaushoehle-bei-bistrita.md · Italiano: https://peplaiuri.ro/it/grotta-dei-pipistrelli-di-bistrita.md · Français: https://peplaiuri.ro/fr/grotte-des-chauves-souris-de-bistrita.md · Español: https://peplaiuri.ro/es/cueva-de-los-murcielagos-de-bistrita.md · Magyar: https://peplaiuri.ro/hu/bistrita-i-denever-barlang.md
Last updated: 30 October 2026
Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania