5/5 Koen 2 years ago on Google
Small,
but
beautiful!
The
Sinaia
Monastery
was
founded
by
Prince
Mihail
Cantacuzino
upon
his
return
of
his
pilgimage
to
the
great
Saint
Catherine's
Monastery
on
Mount
Sinai
in
Egypt.
The
first
buildings,
including
the
"Biserica
Veche"
(The
Old
Church),
were
completed
between
1690
and
1695.
The
monastery
consists
of
two
courtyards
surrounded
by
low
buildings.
It
was
designed
to
serve
as
a
monastery
as
well
as
a
fortified
stronghold
on
the
route
from
Brasov
to
Bucharest.
The
"Biserica
Mare"
(The
Great
Church)
was
built
in
1842-1846
and
enlarged
in
1897-1903,
and
thanks
to
the
efforts
of
King
Carol
I,
the
Great
Church
became
the
first
church
to
use
electric
lights
in
Romania.
The
monastery
is
built
and
decorated
in
a
mix
of
Moldovian,
Brâncovenesc
and
(Neo-)
Byzantine
styles.
Some
of
the
main
features
of
the
monastery
are
the
gold
mosaic
paintings
by
Danish
artist
Aage
Exner,
two
Russian
icons
donated
by
Tsar
Nicholas
II
of
Russia
in
1903
and
the
epitaphios
by
Anna
Roth.
If
you
are
visiting
Sinaia,
be
it
for
skiing,
for
a
cure
or
for
a
holiday,
be
sure
to
take
the
time
to
visit
this
small
but
beautiful
monastery:
it
is
definitely
worth
a
visit!
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