On June 24, 2020, the day of the year when the Romanian Orthodox Church celebrates the birth of Saint John the Baptist I have visited the Valea Teilor Monastery located in Tulcea County, in the far Eastern part of Romania close to Danube Delta.
The reason I visited this monastery is because one of my lifetime friend is a monk in this monastery and since the patron saint of this monastery is John the Baptist, every year, this specific day is celebrated as a major religious event with hundreds of people attending a liturgy celebrated by the Bishop of the parish.
Valea Teilor Monastery (Linden trees valley – in a literal translation) is located in a beautiful natural area, Macin Mountains, the oldest ones of Europe formed around 300 million years ago with a highest peak of only 467 meters / 1532 feet, due to intense erosion. Surrounded by a dense forest predominantly consisting of Linden trees, the monastery is a very well hidden gem and when I say this I consider how actually hard accessible it is by car. By the time I am writing this post the the dirt road from Valea Teilor village is serious challenge for any NON 4×4 car. But this aspect only adds to the charm of a spiritual place totally secluded from civilization, I was surprised to learn that in the 13 years of existence of this Monastery no foreign person has ever visited it. Actually whole Dobrogea area (most SE part of Romania) a region extremely developed in antiquity and very rich in artifacts today is very, very little known for tourists.
At this monastery anyone is welcomed by the little brotherhood of 7 monks and novices who live based on what they produce. One will be surprised to see what a well organised bio-farm with cows, goats, poultry and green houses the monks are running apart their praying time. Accommodation is possible up to 8 pax. You should know though that in terms of electricity the monastery is relying mainly on solar panels, for more details on accommodation terms you can contact the monastery directly on: 0754025341.
If you are interested in Romanian monasteries you can find interesting and useful information about the most important ones, here.
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