# Cozia Monastery

[Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Oltenia](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/oltenia) › [Vâlcea County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/valcea) › [Călimănești](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/city/calimanesti)

> Mircea the Elder's foundation on the banks of the Olt, consecrated in 1388: the Holy Trinity church, with stone-and-brick façades, a Brâncovenesc porch and the prince's tomb in the narthex.

**At a glance:** Monasteries and churches in Călimănești, Vâlcea County. The visit takes ½ – 1 hours. Information verified on 20 October 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** Neither the monastery nor the Archdiocese of Râmnic publishes visiting hours online. As a working monastery, visits take place during the day without disturbing the services; ask on site or ring the monastery for the museum collection's opening times.
- **Visit duration:** ½ – 1 hours — with the infirmary church
- **With kids:** Yes — modest dress and quiet
- **Best season:** April – October — autumn, with the hills in colour
- **Address:** Calea lui Traian 816, Căciulata, on the DN 7, Călimănești, Vâlcea County
- **Coordinates:** 45.2717, 24.3159
- **Phone:** +40 744 109 208
- **Website:** https://cozia.arhiepiscopiaramnicului.ro/
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cozia_Monastery
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3320280
- **Categories:** [Monasteries and churches](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/manastiri-si-biserici), [Museums and memorial houses](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/muzee-si-case-memoriale)

## About Cozia Monastery

Cozia Monastery stands on the right bank of the Olt, where Căciulata gives way to the Olt Gorge, enclosed by high walls like a fortress. Mircea the Elder built it at the start of his reign: work began in 1387, the church was consecrated in May 1388, and the painting was finished in 1390–1391. The name comes from a Cuman word for walnut; in the charters of the time the place also appears as "Nucet" (walnut grove). The prince intended his foundation as a burial place and was buried here in 1418.

The Holy Trinity church, with a trefoil plan and a tower over the nave, took up the model of the Serbian churches of the Morava Valley and became, for three centuries, the reference for masonry churches in Wallachia. The façades alternate courses of stone and brick, with pierced stone rosettes and window frames carved with birds, serpents and the double-headed eagle. Constantin Brâncoveanu added the porch in 1707, and the monastery went through many trials: it was a prison between 1879 and 1893, a stable for the horses of the occupying troops in the First World War, and was consolidated in 1958–1959.

### What you can see

In the narthex is the tomb of Mircea the Elder, a stone sarcophagus covered by the slab laid in 1938, and the gravestone of the nun Teofana, mother of Michael the Brave. The old painting of 1391 also survives here; in the nave is the votive painting of Mircea and his son Mihail. Within the walls are the chapels of the Dormition and of All Saints, the loggias opening towards the Olt and the museum collection, with icons, church objects, old books and fragments of the prince's former gravestone. Across the road, on the hill, is the infirmary church of the Holy Apostles (1542–1543), painted by the masters David and Raduslav; Ostrov Hermitage, on the island in Călimănești, is a separate monument a few kilometres away.

### Good to know

It is a working monastery of monks. In December 2025 archaeologists examined the prince's tomb ahead of a restoration project funded by the EU, so works may appear in the ensemble.

## Don't miss

- The tomb of Mircea the Elder, in the narthex of the Holy Trinity church.
- The façades with courses of stone and brick, pierced rosettes and windows carved with birds and serpents.
- The Brâncovenesc porch of 1707, painted by the masters Andrei, Constantin and Gheorghe.
- The votive painting of Mircea the Elder and his son Mihail on the wall of the nave.
- The infirmary church of the Holy Apostles, the small church on the hill, with its paintings of 1542–1543.

## Good to know before you go

### Getting there

**By car:** the monastery is right by the DN 7 (E81), at the northern edge of Căciulata towards Sibiu, ~20 km (~25 minutes) north of Râmnicu Vâlcea and ~80 km (~1½ hours) south of Sibiu, in the Olt Valley. From Bucharest it is ~190 km, on the A1 to Pitești and then the DN 7 (~3 hours). The DN 7 is busy at weekends and in season.

**Public transport:** buses and minibuses run daily between Râmnicu Vâlcea and Călimănești–Căciulata, passing the monastery. Călimănești has a railway station on the Râmnicu Vâlcea – Sibiu line; from there it is a few kilometres along the DN 7 to the monastery.

### Where to park

Parking spaces along the DN 7, right next to the monastery, and the car parks of the Căciulata complexes, a few hundred metres away. On the feast day and on summer weekends the spaces by the gate fill up quickly.

### Fees & discounts

The monastery does not publish prices for visiting, for the museum collection or for photography; ask at the candle shop or at the museum entrance.

### Rules

Modest dress: shoulders and knees covered, women with their heads covered in the church. Keep quiet within the walls and switch phones off during services. Do not take photos in the church without the monks' permission; do not touch the frescoes or the gravestones.

### Facilities

museum collection of icons, church objects and old books · candle shop with icons and books · monastic workshops · restaurants, accommodation and thermal pools in Călimănești-Căciulata · the courtyard is stone-paved, the church has steps at the entrance

## Details

- **Construction period:** 1387–1391
- **Founder:** Mircea the Elder
- **Dedication:** Holy Trinity
- **Denomination:** Orthodox
- **Architectural style:** Byzantine, Morava school
- **Collection type:** religious art

## Frequently asked questions about Cozia Monastery

**How long does a visit to Cozia Monastery take?**

A visit to Cozia Monastery takes about ½ – 1 hours (with the infirmary church).

**Can you visit Cozia Monastery with kids?**

Yes, Cozia Monastery is suitable for children (modest dress and quiet).

**How do I get to Cozia Monastery?**

Cozia Monastery is located at Calea lui Traian 816, Căciulata, on the DN 7, Călimănești, Vâlcea County. By car: the monastery is right by the DN 7 (E81), at the northern edge of Căciulata towards Sibiu, ~20 km (~25 minutes) north of Râmnicu Vâlcea and ~80 km (~1½ hours) south of Sibiu, in the Olt Valley. From Bucharest it is ~190 km, on the A1 to Pitești and then the DN 7 (~3 hours). The DN 7 is busy at weekends and in season. Public transport: buses and minibuses run daily between Râmnicu Vâlcea and Călimănești–Căciulata, passing the monastery. Călimănești has a railway station on the Râmnicu Vâlcea – Sibiu line; from there it is a few kilometres along the DN 7 to the monastery.

**When is the best time to visit Cozia Monastery?**

The best season for Cozia Monastery: April – October (autumn, with the hills in colour).

## Nearby attractions

- [Roman Fort of Arutela](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/castrul-roman-arutela) — Monuments and historic sites · Călimănești, VL · 45 min · UNESCO World Heritage · 1 km
  A Roman fort from AD 138 on the left bank of the Olt at Bivolari, next to Cozia Monastery, with a reconstructed praetorian gate and a component of the UNESCO site "Frontiers of the Roman Empire – Dacia".
- [Olt Defile](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/defileul-oltului) — Scenic roads · Vâlcea County · Free · 1½ – 2 hours · 2 km
  The 47 km gorge by which the Olt crosses the Carpathians: on the DN7, between Boița and Călimănești, the road follows the river past Cozia Monastery. A busy through route, not a leisure drive.
- [Călimănești-Căciulata](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/calimanesti-caciulata) — Resorts and thermal baths · Călimănești, VL · Free · 3½ – 4 hours · 4 km
  A spa resort in the Olt Valley, where the river leaves the Cozia Mountains: sulphur springs known since the 19th century, the Central Pavilion of 1886 and thermal pools open all year round.
- [Lotrișor Waterfall](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cascada-lotrisor) — Waterfalls · Călimănești, VL · 10 lei · 1½ – 2 hours · 7 km
  A waterfall of about 30 m in Cozia National Park, where the stream bursts out of a tunnel cut through the rock; reached on foot along a gentle forest road through the Lotrișor Gorge.
- [Băile Olănești](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/baile-olanesti) — Resorts and thermal baths · Băile Olănești, VL · Free · 13 km
  A spa resort in a wooded valley below the Vâlcea mountains, with more than 30 numbered mineral springs, a springs walk along the river and Horea's wooden church, brought here from the Apuseni Mountains.
- [Roman Fort at Titești](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/castrul-roman-titesti) — Monuments and historic sites · Titești, VL · 30 min · 22 km
  A small 2nd-century Roman stone fort on Cazanului hill near the village of Titești in Țara Loviștei, part of the defensive line of the Limes Alutanus along the Olt valley.

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Last updated: 20 October 2026
Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania