Radu Voda Monastery

Founded in 1568 by Wallachian prince Alexandru II Mircea, rebuilt in 1613-1614 by Radu Mihnea after Ottoman destruction, and reactivated as a monastery in 1999, Radu Voda carries over 450 years of sacred history in central Bucharest. The arrival of Saint Nectarios's relics in 2002 transformed it from a historic monastery into one of Romania's most active healing pilgrimage sites.

Alexandru II Mircea, Prince of Wallachia, and his wife Ecaterina founded the monastery in 1568 as a votive offering of gratitude for victory in battle against rival boyars. They dedicated the church to the Holy Trinity and intended it to serve as the metropolitan church of Bucharest. The foundation included not only the church but defensive walls and a Princely Palace — a complex that expressed both spiritual and political authority.

In 1595, Ottoman troops under Sinan Pasha occupied the monastery and converted the church into a mosque. When Michael the Brave forced the Ottomans to retreat, they burned the complex. It lay in ruins until Prince Radu Mihnea rebuilt the church in 1613-1614, following the original triconch design but using brick instead of stone. The monastery has borne his name ever since.

The 17th century brought a scriptorium that served other ecclesiastical establishments and one of the first libraries in Bucharest. Earthquakes in 1829 and 1838 caused severe damage. In 1875, much of the monastery was demolished, with only the church and bell tower preserved. A theological school was built on the grounds in the 1890s.

The defining moment of the monastery's modern history came in 2002, when relics of Saint Nectarios of Aegina were received from the Greek island where the saint lived and died. The relics established what some call a second founding — transforming Radu Voda from a significant but quiet historical site into one of Bucharest's most visited pilgrimage destinations.