# St Nicholas Church in Șchei

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> The Orthodox church of the Romanians of Șcheii Brașovului, built from 1495 on the site of a wooden one, with Gothic-Baroque towers, painted façades and Nicolae Titulescu's grave in the churchyard.

**At a glance:** Monasteries and churches in Brașov, Brașov County. The visit takes 45 min. Information verified on 8 October 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** The parish does not publish visiting hours; the church can be visited outside services. The patronal feast is held on 6 December, St Nicholas' Day.
- **Visit duration:** 45 min — church, chapels and courtyard
- **Best season:** All year round — all year; feast day on 6 December
- **Address:** Piața Unirii 1-2, Brașov, Brașov County
- **Coordinates:** 45.63565, 25.58161
- **Website:** https://protopopiatul-brasov.ro/biserici/biserica-sf-nicolae-brasov/
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Nicholas_Church,_Bra%C8%99ov
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1086906
- **Categories:** [Monasteries and churches](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/manastiri-si-biserici), [Monuments and historic sites](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/monumente-si-situri-istorice)

## About St Nicholas Church in Șchei

On Piața Unirii, in the Șchei district at the foot of Mount Tâmpa, stands the church that the people of Brașov have long called the cathedral of the Romanians of the Burzenland. Local chronicles mention a wooden cross on this spot in 1292, and a bull of Pope Boniface IX from 1399 shows that an Orthodox community resisting conversion lived around it. Excavations in 1969–1975 found traces of three successive churches, the first of them wooden.

The stone church was begun in 1495 by Vlad the Monk, a prince of Wallachia then in exile in Brașov, and completed in 1519 with money and masons sent by Neagoe Basarab. The porch followed in 1584 with the support of Petru Cercel, and the bell tower and the first paintings in 1595–1597, paid for by Aron Vodă of Moldavia. Then came the Annunciation chapel (1733–1734), the Ascension chapel (1750–1752) and, in 1751, the clock tower on the west side, funded by gifts from Empress Elizabeth of Russia. All these stages produced a Gothic building dressed in Baroque, with a large tower framed by four turrets.

The church was the centre of Romanian life in Brașov: the Romanian school worked in its courtyard (today the **First Romanian School** museum, which has its own page), the deacon Coresi produced his printed books here, and the parish supported the Society of the Juni and the founding of the Romanian secondary school in 1851.

### What you can see

From the gate on Piața Unirii you climb between walls up to the church. On the façades, Costin Petrescu's paintings from 1939–1946 show Michael the Brave entering Brașov, the four founding princes, Coresi's printing press, the coronation of King Ferdinand at Alba Iulia and Metropolitan Andrei Șaguna. Inside, the same painter decorated the whole nave; on the north wall are King Michael and the Queen Mother Helen, and next to the bishop's throne King Ferdinand and Queen Marie on horseback, a fresco hidden under whitewash under communism and restored in 1999.

The two chapels attached to the west end of the church keep their 18th-century paintings: in the Annunciation chapel, painters from Craiova depicted the Apocalypse and the rare "Wheel of the World" between 1735 and 1738, while the Ascension chapel has its original iconostasis in the Brâncovenesc style. In the courtyard you can see the 18th-century holy-water shrine, the monks' cells, the headquarters of the Juni and the terraced cemetery, where the diplomat **Nicolae Titulescu** lies, with a mausoleum built in 2002, together with Ioan Meșotă, Aurel Popovici and Iosif Barac.

### Good to know

The church is an active parish, not a museum: during services, visit quietly. Between July 2025 and December 2028 a project to consolidate and restore the church, its paintings and the courtyard is under way, so you may find scaffolding and closed-off areas.

## Don't miss

- Costin Petrescu's façade frescoes, with Michael the Brave entering Brașov and Coresi's printing press.
- The "Wheel of the World" scene in the Annunciation chapel, painted by artists from Craiova between 1735 and 1738.
- The original Brâncovenesc iconostasis in the Ascension chapel.
- The painting of King Ferdinand and Queen Marie on horseback, hidden under whitewash under communism and restored in 1999.
- Nicolae Titulescu's grave in the terraced cemetery beside the church.

## Good to know before you go

### Getting there

**By car:** Brașov is ~170 km from Bucharest on the DN1 (~3 hours, with heavy traffic in the Prahova Valley at weekends), ~145 km from Sibiu on the DN1 (~2.5 hours) and ~270 km from Cluj-Napoca on the DN1 via Sibiu. The church is on Piața Unirii in Șchei, ~900 m south-west of Piața Sfatului: on foot it takes 12–15 minutes along Strada Prundului, through the Șchei Gate.

**Public transport:** Brașov railway station has direct trains from Bucharest, Sibiu, Cluj-Napoca and other major cities; from outside the station, RAT Brașov buses run to the centre (Livada Poștei stop), from where you walk through Piața Sfatului and the Șchei Gate.

### Where to park

There are few parking spaces around Piața Unirii and in the narrow streets of Șchei. Parking in the historic centre is paid; the easiest option is to leave the car in a public car park in the centre and walk up from Piața Sfatului.

### Fees & discounts

The parish does not publish an entrance fee for the church. The First Romanian School museum, in the churchyard, has a separate ticket.

### Rules

Modest dress, as in any Orthodox church: shoulders and knees covered. During services, do not walk around the church or take photos; the churchyard cemetery is a place of quiet reflection.

### Facilities

First Romanian School museum in the churchyard · candle-lighting shelter in the courtyard

## Details

- **Construction period:** 1495–1752
- **Founder:** Vlad the Monk, Neagoe Basarab
- **Dedication:** Saint Nicholas
- **Denomination:** Orthodox
- **Architectural style:** Gothic and Baroque
- **Historical period:** 15th–18th centuries

## Frequently asked questions about St Nicholas Church in Șchei

**How long does a visit to St Nicholas Church in Șchei take?**

A visit to St Nicholas Church in Șchei takes about 45 min (church, chapels and courtyard).

**How do I get to St Nicholas Church in Șchei?**

St Nicholas Church in Șchei is located at Piața Unirii 1-2, Brașov, Brașov County. By car: Brașov is ~170 km from Bucharest on the DN1 (~3 hours, with heavy traffic in the Prahova Valley at weekends), ~145 km from Sibiu on the DN1 (~2.5 hours) and ~270 km from Cluj-Napoca on the DN1 via Sibiu. The church is on Piața Unirii in Șchei, ~900 m south-west of Piața Sfatului: on foot it takes 12–15 minutes along Strada Prundului, through the Șchei Gate. Public transport: Brașov railway station has direct trains from Bucharest, Sibiu, Cluj-Napoca and other major cities; from outside the station, RAT Brașov buses run to the centre (Livada Poștei stop), from where you walk through Piața Sfatului and the Șchei Gate.

**When is the best time to visit St Nicholas Church in Șchei?**

The best season for St Nicholas Church in Șchei: All year round (all year; feast day on 6 December).

## Nearby attractions

- [First Romanian School](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/prima-scoala-romaneasca) — Museums and memorial houses · Brașov, BV · 20 lei · ½ – 1 hours · 0 km
  The old school in the courtyard of St Nicholas' Church in Șcheii Brașovului, now a museum: a classroom with wooden benches, a replica of Coresi's printing press and Romanian books five centuries old.
- [Catherine's Gate](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/poarta-ecaterinei) — Fortresses and fortifications · Brașov, BV · Free · 20 min · 1 km
  The only surviving medieval gate of Brașov's walled town, a white tower of 1559 with four corner turrets and the town's coat of arms; next to it, the neoclassical Șchei Gate of 1827–1828.
- [Weavers' Bastion](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/bastionul-tesatorilor) — Fortresses and fortifications · Brașov, BV · 10 lei · 45 min · 1 km
  The best-preserved bastion of Brașov's city walls, built by the weavers' guild in the 15th and 16th centuries, with timber galleries on four levels and a model of the medieval town.
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- [Strada Sforii (Rope Street)](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/strada-sforii) — Monuments and historic sites · Brașov, BV · Free · 10 min · 1 km
  A passage 1.1–1.35 m wide in Brașov's old town, recorded in the 17th century and counted among the narrowest streets in Europe; closed for repairs since November 2025.
- [The Black Church](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/biserica-neagra) — Monasteries and churches · Brașov, BV · 30 lei · 45 min · 1 km
  Romania's largest Gothic church, built by the Saxons of Brașov between 1383 and 1477; inside are the 1839 Buchholz organ and a rare collection of Anatolian carpets.

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Last updated: 8 October 2026
Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania