TravelswithCharie

Iconostasis  A few minutes from the center of Bucharest is the medieval church of Snagov Monastery. It is also known as Vlad Tepeş Monastery after the infamous ruler of Wallachia who was a patron of this monastery. The Church sits on an island surrounded by a forest and connected to the mainland by a pedestrian bridge. I didn’t expect the beautiful natural setting and found myself standing in the middle of the bridge quietly enjoying the serenity the lake presented. The iconostasis is a screen between the nave and the sanctuary. There are three doors on the screen. The middle one is used only by the clergy and is called the Beautiful Gate or Royal Door (it was used at times by royalty). The other two doors are for the use of deacons. Snagov Lake Mircea cel Baltran (Mircea the Elder) At the entrance to the church are the medallions of Baltran and his grandson, Vlad Tepeş, who were both patrons of the church. Baltran is one of the founders of this monastery. *see also my post about S...

Bran Castle or Dracula’s Castle The most popular touristic destination in Romania is undoubtedly Bran Castle, more commonly known as Dracula’s Castle. Dracula is a work of fiction by a 19th century Irish novelist named Bram Stoker who had never been to Romania, let alone to Dracula’s Castle. Yet, Dracula haunts many of us so much so that we follow the pilgrims’ path to Transylvania to be where this fictional character supposedly lived and bit his victims to drink their blood. Fiction aside, the family of the real Dracula lived in the picturesque hilltop town of Sighisoara, under the shadow of the 14th century clock tower. Find out more about Sighisoara here:  https://www.travelswithcharie.com/2023/08/sighisoara-medieval-town.html Vlad Dracul, the father of Vlad III,  the Impaler, also known as Vlad Țepeş (and perhaps the inspiration behind the novel, Dracula) supposedly lived in this yellow house from 1431-1435. (There are studies that point otherwise.)  Vlad Dracul was s...