BUCHAREST

Darvari Monastery is one of the few worship places built in the middle of Bucharest. It is an island of peace inside the noisy Romanian capital. Mihail Darvari and his wife Elena Darvari built Darvari Hermitage in 1834. It was a small, wooden church in the beginning. Cells for priests also appeared in the church yard. One year later, in 1835, 12 nuns came from other monasteries near Bucharest to take care of Darvari Hermitage. They also came  to officiate religious service. After the founder’s death, the nuns left Darvari. The hermitage was closed after Alexandru Ioan Cuza took for the state all monasteries properties by law.

BUCHAREST DARVARI CHURCH HISTORY

But in 1868, as Romania was under the reign of Carol I, Elena Darvari changed the worship place into a hermitage for monks. In 1894, architects had to repair the entire construction. A nephew of the founder, officer in the Romanian Army repaired again Darvari Hermitage in 1934. Somehow, this worship place has the same history as the Jewish Choral Temple in Bucharest. This is a fine building near Unirii Square, the center of the capital, where you will learn more about the Jewish community. The painter Iosif Keber made the fresco.

DARVARI AND THE COMMUNISTS

In 1959 the communist party leaders closed this worship place. They followed the atheist politics of the Soviet Union, after the war. The 13 monks who lived here had to move to Cernica Monastery. The hermitage became a simple church. The tomb of the founder remained in the hall of the building. After 1989 authorities repaired the paintings. In 1996 the Church decided to call again the place Darvari Hermitage. Also, the Government included the small hermitage on the list of historical monuments in 1992.

ROMANA SQUARE AREA AROUND BUCHAREST DARVARI MONASTERY

Darvari Hermitage or Darvari Monastery can be a stop on your journey through Bucharest and it won’t take much time. It is also near the ANGLICAN CHURCH. During summer, if you travel to Bucharest you can enjoy the flowers in the yard and the peace and silence inside the building. See also events on Darvari facebook page.

A small shop has also been opened in front of the hermitage which is only a few minutes walk between University and Romana Square.
SEE MAP…