Mânăstirea de lângă Făgăraș, incendiată cu călugării în ea

The Bucium Monastery, built after 1990, was built on the site of an old place of worship from the early 18th century. The old monastery suffered the fate of all the places of worship destroyed in Transylvania in 1761 by order of Empress Maria Theresa, who wanted to forcefully impose the Greek Catholic confession in her empire and on the territory of Transylvania. Thus, she ordered a general named Bukow to destroy everything that was Orthodox. However, in Bucium, the empress's general encountered a problem. He ordered the artillery to fire at the monastery church with all its might, but for unknown reasons the cannonballs did not hit the church. General Bukow changed his plan and decided to burn the church down, something he occasionally did, as was the case with the Cârţişoara Monastery. At Bucium, the monks barricaded themselves in the church and hoped that the general would not set fire to it with them inside, but his cruelty knew no bounds. They burned alive within its walls and only the abbot escaped, who tried to flee to the mountains with a few icons. He was caught by Bukow's soldiers, who cut off his head and threw him into a nearby well. It is said that the next day crystal-clear water gushed from that well, and the abbot was treated like a saint from then on. Bucium Monastery can be reached from Bucium as well as from Şercăiţa, and the last few kilometers are on an unpaved road. Before entering the monastery gate, pilgrims are greeted by 6 wooden crosses, 3 on each side of the road. The church is built very close to the place where the old church that Bukow burned down is said to have been. A garden full of flowers with a few crosses gives you the first impression that there is a cemetery there. Inside you can sit on benches. Only after asking a resident of the monastery what that place is, did I learn that it was the footprint of the former church. The monastery church is unlocked all day, but some posters at the entrance warn pilgrims to close the door after entering or leaving the church, because wild animals can enter, considering that it is located at the foot of the mountain. As at the Breaza hermitage, inside this church we found Saint Philofteia painted in Romanian folk costume. The construction of this monastery is due to a woman from the Bukovina area, Elisabeta Şandru, who dedicated her time and money to its construction. He began his efforts in 1950, but saw his dream come true only in his old age, after ’90. Today, although the community of the Bucium Monastery consists of only two residents, this place of worship is very well maintained, with its generous green area that needs to be mowed and cared for. (Cristina Cornilă) #bucium #cristinacornila #vacation #abuciummonastery #brasovcounty #transylvania