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.
Your Guide in Transylvania has been providing excellent travel and tourism services in Transylvania since 2010. We sell tourism packages for satisfying your historical or cultural exploration penchants. Our tourism facility is dedicated to offering you an experience of a lifetime and a taste of medieval era with our exclusive Transylvania touring packages. You can contact us any time throughout the year to fulfill your desire of reliving the past but in a modernized and highly-facilitated manner.
