Sihastria Monastery

Sihastria Monastery is located in the north part of Neamt County, at 22 km of Targu Neamt, on the road that goes toPipirig and Vatra Dornei. The secondary road that goes to the monastery it’s about 15 km, runs nearby Ozana river and crosses the valley of the brook called Secu. After 4 km you reach Secu Monastery and after another 3 km you’ll see Sihastria Monastery.

In the year 1942 Sihastria Monastery has a new abbot: father Cleopa. With the help received from Neamt Monastery father Cleopa manages to build all the cells by 1944 .

He also manages to reinforce Sihastria Monastery with his strong belief and in 1946 they build a new chapel. He is send to be abbot at Slatina Monastery , together with another 23 monks but he returns to Sihastria Monastery in the year 1964.  Father Cleopa becomes an icon and a saint among the living. Sihastria Monastery is well known to all pilgrims because of the life of this great priest and monk.

Secu Monastery

Secu Monastery is a 500 years old Romanian Orthodox settlement. The first hermitage was raised in the year 1530. The buildings that we can see today at Secu Monastery were built in the year 1602 by Nestor Ureche.

The church of Secu monastery was built in 1602 in the shape of a rectangular city, in the middle of the surrounding walls. In the year 1821 here took place the last battle between Turks and Eteristi. The Turkish won the battle and burned the church. After that, most of the buildings and cells had to be rebuild, together with the chapel St Nicholas.

The most important icon from Secu Monastery is the Icon of St Mary, Mother of Jesus from the main church of the monastery. This icon was a gift from ruler Vasile Lupu in 1647 as a sign of respect to Mitropolitul Varlaam (Mitropolit is a high religious position).The icon was brought from Cyprus Island and is known as the Cypriot Icon.

Secu Monastery is representative for the Moldavian architectural style from the end of the XVI century and the beginning of the XVII century.

Transalpina

The Transalpina is a road unveiling nature’s greatness and spectacle, the road closest to the clouds. The highest tourist route in Romania and the oldest national road in Europe, the Transalpina crosses the Parang Mountains between Saliste town in Sibiu County and Novaci town in Gorj County, connecting the two historical regions, Transylvania and Oltenia.

If adventure and Alpine scenery sound alluring, the TransAlpina road offers an ideal mix of the two. Winding its way through valleys and plateaus up to 7,038 feet – a height not reached by any other mountain passage in Romania – the TransAlpina road offers breathtaking views together with lots of driving excitement.

Arguably the oldest road over the Carpathian Mountains, TransAlpina was built at the beginning of the 2nd Century AD by the Roman legions during their war campaign to conquer Sarmizegetusa – the capital of Dacia (modern-day Romania). After the conquest of Dacia, the Romans have used the TransAlpina to transport to Rome the gold extracted from the central part of Romania (Transylvania). At the beginning of the second millennium TransAlpina has become one of the main transhumance routes over the Carpathian Mountains; it still serves this purpose, even today. Paving of the road began in 1930 and eight years later King Carol II inaugurated the new TransAlpina (also named during the monarchy period "The King's Road").

  

 

The Ramet Monastery

The Ramet Monastery of Alba County is one of the oldest Orthodox establishments in Transylvania. There are indications it was built before 1377, the estimated date of a mural painting. The tradition attributes its foundation to monks Ghenadie and Romulus, in 1214.

The monastery lies in a narrow valley cut by the water of Geoagiu Creek through the Trascau Mountains; it's called 'the monastery valley'. The small river comes from Abrud Mountains, and flows into the Mures River near Teius. The travel to the monastery reveals to faithful and tourists a unique historical monument.

Great historian Nicolae Iorga said that the Ramet Monastery must have been built by solitary monks, 'ramet' meaning in fact 'eremites' or recluses.