Click the player below for the song "M-a facut muica oltean" or "I was born in Oltenia" by the
Allegretto children's chorus
Vodita Monastery
Click on the photos to see an enlarged version
Vodita Monastery is situated 17 km from Drobeta-Turnu Severin. It is about one kilometre from the Danube, in the Vodita valley.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 2006
The monastery was constructed between 1364 and 1370 by the Venerable Nicodim from Tismana and by Vladislav I Voivode (Vlaicu Voda), the ruler of Wallachia, who undertook to pay for its construction. It was an autonomous monastery, and was granted the right to own goods and lands, and became a strong centre for the Orthodox Church.
Radu cel Mare Voivode financed its restoration in 1500, and Cornea Brailoiu financed its subsequent restoration in the year 1689; yet, following this last enterprise, the establishment unfortunately remained in a state of total dereliction for a very long time – since there were no further attempts to preserve it for over three centuries.
After the Austrian-Turkish war, ended with the peace at Passarovitz in 1718, Vodita Monastery knew a new period of decline. It is only mentioned on the map drawn by Samuelis Koleseri in 1720.
On the 5th of September 1891, the Bishop Gheradie of Ramnic visited Vodita and described the remains of the monastery. Of the church there remained only a few walls, and of the nearby monks' cells, only the foundations remained.
Alina inspecting the ruins of the original Vodita Monastery.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 2006
Left, ruins of the old Monastery.
Right, Alex standing in front of the ruins of the rooms where the monks lived.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 2007
In 1990 the monastery was reopened, when there was initiated work on restoring the old holy establishment precisely as it had been initially designed.
A group of monastic cells has been constructed and a new church, erected of wood in the tradition of the Maramures style, was also constructed. The church was consecrated in 2001.
Text: adapted from http://www.romanian-monasteries.go.ro/mehedinti/vodita.htm and http://www.geocities.com/mbobbymro/Vodita_en.html
The wooden church at Vodita Monastery
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe (L) 2006, (R) 2007
Vodita Monastery - living quarters for the monks.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 2007
Vodita Monastery
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 2006
Troitza at Vodita Monastery
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 2006
This is the Holy Place of the church of the old Vodita Monastery, the Sanctuary, where the priests and monks used to pray to the Lord.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 2006 (left), 2007 (right)
Headstone at Vodita Monastery,
The pattern on the headstone is that which generations of schoolchildren have drawn with compasses as a first exercise when studying the use of compasses and constructions.
Because Oltenia Museum has the ability to verify the scientific importance of this information and because the specialists of Oltenia Museum have made contributions to this site, the copyrights to it are part of Oltenia Museum property.
If you have any photographs or information which would be useful for this site please contact Don Hitchcock
This page last modified Sunday, 13th July, 2008 03:58pm
