# Dintr-un Lemn Monastery

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

> A convent in Vâlcea named after the legend of a church carved from a single oak: the little wooden church in the cemetery and Matei Basarab's stone church, with its icon of the Mother of God.

**At a glance:** Monasteries in Frâncești, Vâlcea County. The visit takes ½ – 1 hours. Information verified on 2 November 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** A working convent: visit during the day without disturbing the services. The patronal feast is on 8 September, the Nativity of the Mother of God.
- **Visit duration:** ½ – 1 hours — both churches and the courtyard
- **With kids:** Yes — modest dress and quiet
- **Parking:** Yes, free — at the main gate
- **Best season:** All year round — 8 September, the feast day
- **Address:** DJ646B, Dezrobiți village, Frâncești, Vâlcea County
- **Coordinates:** 45.02573, 24.18027
- **Phone:** +40 745 075 225
- **Website:** https://dintr-un-lemn.arhiepiscopiaramnicului.ro/
- **Wikipedia:** https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C4%83n%C4%83stirea_Dintr-un_Lemn
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3320170
- **Categories:** [Monasteries](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/monasteries), [Monuments and historic sites](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/monuments-and-historic-sites)

## About Dintr-un Lemn Monastery

Dintr-un Lemn Monastery ("From One Wood") stands in the village of Dezrobiți, in Frâncești commune, in the Otăsău valley, among the wooded hills that separate it from the Surpatele and Govora monasteries. The name comes from a legend: Paul of Aleppo, who passed through in 1653–1658, wrote that a monk had found an icon of the Mother of God in the hollow of an oak and built a little church from the wood of that tree. A version recorded in 1745 by Metropolitan Neofit Cretanul replaces the monk with a shepherd called Radu, in the reign of Alexandru II Mircea (1568–1577).

The first document mentioning the monastery dates from 20 April 1635. The stone church, dedicated to the Nativity of the Mother of God, is a foundation of Matei Basarab: a record of 1640 and the inscription of 1715, placed by Ștefan Cantacuzino, name him as founder. Also in 1715 the bell tower at the entrance and the Princely House were rebuilt. In 1938–1940 the ensemble was restored by the Ministry of Air and Navy. Today it is a convent.

### What you can see

In the cemetery on the west side stands the wooden church, shaded by ancient oaks. The present one was built in 1810–1814 on the site of a 16th-century church: thick beams joined with dovetails, a cable-twist band carved into the wood, an open porch and no tower. Inside, instead of wall paintings, there are old icons on wood and an iconostasis of limewood carved in 1814.

The stone church, on a triconch plan, with an octagonal apse and a porch on pillars, keeps the icon of the Mother of God linked to the legend; its age is still debated, and during the restoration of the early 2000s a painting of the Last Judgement came to light on its back. The church also holds two chandeliers given by Șerban Cantacuzino and Lady Marica Brâncoveanu. In the courtyard you can see the bell tower and the abbess's house known as the Brâncoveanu Palace, and at the entrance a carved wooden gate in the traditional style.

## Don't miss

- The wooden church of 1810–1814, built on the site of the 16th-century one, with its limewood iconostasis carved in 1814.
- The icon of the Mother of God in the stone church, linked to the legend of the oak.
- Matei Basarab's stone church, on a triconch plan, with a porch on pillars.
- The ancient oaks around the wooden church, in the monastery cemetery.
- The carved wooden gate at the entrance and the bell tower rebuilt in 1715.

## Good to know before you go

### Getting there

**By car:** from Râmnicu Vâlcea it is ~28 km (~40 min), south on the DN64, then along the DJ646 and DJ646B. From Băbeni it is ~8.5 km (~12 min), and from Băile Govora ~12 km (~20 min). It can be combined in one day with Băile Govora and the Ocnele Mari Salt Mine (~24 km).

### Where to park

Car park by the main gate, at the end of the DJ646B; from there you walk into the precinct.

### Rules

Modest dress: shoulders and knees covered, women with their heads covered in church. Keep quiet within the walls and switch phones off during services. Photos in the churches only with the nuns' permission.

### Facilities

accommodation for pilgrims

## Details

- **Construction period:** 16th–19th centuries
- **Founder:** Matei Basarab
- **Dedication:** Nativity of the Mother of God
- **Denomination:** Orthodox
- **Pilgrim accommodation:** Yes
- **Historical period:** late Middle Ages

## Frequently asked questions about Dintr-un Lemn Monastery

**How long does a visit to Dintr-un Lemn Monastery take?**

A visit to Dintr-un Lemn Monastery takes about ½ – 1 hours (both churches and the courtyard).

**Can you visit Dintr-un Lemn Monastery with kids?**

Yes, Dintr-un Lemn Monastery is suitable for children (modest dress and quiet).

**Where can I park at Dintr-un Lemn Monastery?**

There is free parking at Dintr-un Lemn Monastery (at the main gate). More under “Where to park”.

**How do I get to Dintr-un Lemn Monastery?**

Dintr-un Lemn Monastery is located at DJ646B, Dezrobiți village, Frâncești, Vâlcea County. More under “Getting there”.

**When is the best time to visit Dintr-un Lemn Monastery?**

The best season for Dintr-un Lemn Monastery: All year round (8 September, the feast day).

## Nearby attractions

- [Băile Govora](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/baile-govora) — Resorts and thermal baths · Băile Govora, VL · Free · 2 – 2½ hours · 8 km
  A spa resort in the Vâlcea foothills, with iodine, bromine and sulphur waters, a spa park laid out in 1912 and the Palace Hotel designed by Ernest Doneaud.
- [Saint Paraskeva Wooden Church in Băbeni (Capu Dealului)](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/saint-paraskeva-wooden-church-in-babeni) — Churches · Băbeni, VL · 30 min · 8 km
  A wooden church from the late 18th century in a hilltop cemetery in the village of Capu Dealului, with a glazed porch and a small bell tower rising from the roof.
- [Roman Buridava (Stolniceni)](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/roman-buridava) — Monuments and historic sites · Râmnicu Vâlcea, VL · 30 min · UNESCO World Heritage · 13 km
  The ruins of the Roman baths at Stolniceni, in the south of Râmnicu Vâlcea, between the Olt and the DN64: the remains of the major military centre of Buridava, a component of the UNESCO site "Frontiers of the Roman Empire – Dacia".
- [Ocnele Mari Salt Mine](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/ocnele-mari-salt-mine) — Salt mines · Ocnele Mari, VL · 60 lei · 2 – 2½ hours · Top 100 · 16 km
  A working salt mine near Râmnicu Vâlcea that you enter by bus through a tunnel: huge galleries with swirling salt walls, sports courts, an ice rink and the country's largest underground church.
- [Saint Parascheva Wooden Church in Ciocâltei](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/saint-parascheva-wooden-church-in-ciocaltei) — Churches · Ciocâltei, VL · 20 min · 18 km
  An 18th-century wooden church dedicated to Saint Parascheva, in the village of Ciocâltei in Roești commune, with an octagonal tower, a painted façade and a concrete bell tower at the gate.
- [Trovants Museum (Muzeul Trovanților)](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/trovants-museum) — National parks and reserves · Costești, VL · 45 min · 20 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.

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Last updated: 2 November 2026
Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania