Are you looking for a tourist attraction filled with mystery and charm? If the answer is “yes” then Chiajna Monastery is the right place for you. What is more interesting and thrilling than a church located right between two cemeteries? Which has never been consecrated and where only a few locals dare to enter? Should we also add the fact that no priest has ever served here and that its role as a place of prayer is almost inexistent as the plague has turned it into a doomed place?
On the walls of this abandoned building there are all kinds of strange messages, like “Children’s world”. There are numerous movies on the Internet that talk about the disappearing of two students near this monastery and even a few murder investigations, and the locals swear that they have seen ghosts here and who advise the weak hearted to stay away from this church.
Despite of all this, the building is an architectural masterpiece and it fascinates the eye with exceptional craftsmanship. Unfortunately, Chiajna Monastery is located in a remote part of Giulesti-Sarbi where public transportation isn’t available. Visitors can travel here only with their own car or by taxi. But the overall experience is amazingly unique and it is definitely worth the trip.
The church was initially built about 300 years ago at the request of ruler Alexandru Ipsilanti. The construction impresses with its greatness- it measures 43 meters in length, 17 m in width, it has walls with a thickness of 1-2 meters and the cornice height reaches 12 meters. In 1775, when it was built, it was the leargest Church around. From an architectural point of view it is truly unique as it is the only church that synthesizes so elegantly the traditional Romanian and Brancovenian architecture with the neoclassical one.
The one who finished the construction of this monastery was the Phanariot Prince Nicolae Mavrogheni and the design belonged to the Saxon craftsman Johannes Rathner. Unfortunately this beautiful building was bombed by Turks in 1814 because it was the shelter of those who lived in the surrounding towns, and after 1821 it was abandoned for good.
Still, over the years the church has survived numerous large earthquakes, to the repeated attempts of destruction initiated by those who wanted to steal its bricks and to the construction and use of the rail-way Bucuresti-Rosiori-Craiova which is located at less than 30 meters. So far there have been numerous initiatives and attempts of restoring the building, especially after 1900, the last one even during the communist regime.
Starting with 2011 the local authorities have started a long and complex process of reviving and restoring the old Chiajna Monastery. Currently, there are regular church services held here by priests who are determined to bring this amazing architectural masterpiece back to life.
