At Brâncoveanu Monastery, the weather can seem unhospitable, but braving it can allow one a unique insight into the warmth of the human spirit and how for centuries monks have thrived in the mountains of Romania.
The Făgăraș Mountains are isolated and cold. They are the highest mountains in Romania. As you drive through them you will see friendly-looking dogs running through the snow. Locals say that these dogs were owned by villagers before the communist dictator forced people to live in small apartments in the 1970s and 1980s. They are well taken care of by the village but they roam free. You will also see restaurants, hotels and other touristic shops. As the snow falls and you drive through the gate to the monastery, you get the feeling that you are entering a different world or a different time.
In Brâncoveanu Monastery, the camaradarie and industry of the monks help them to live here. It is isolated and surrounded by mountains but that has served to keep the monks safe for hundreds of years from religious persecution. Even though it is remote, it is still between two major cities in Romania, which allows many people to live here.
