MY TRAVEL STORIES
A 21st-century Masterpiece of Religious Architecture
The Monastery of the Discalced Carmelite Monks in Ciofliceni, Romania
Vivit Dominus in cujus conspectu sto: The Lord is alive, in whose presence I stand” (1 Kings 17:1, the prophet Elijah).
In the program of the trip made in February 2024, the visit to the Catholic Monastery of the Discalced Carmelite Monks was also included. Located less than 30 km from Bucharest, near Snagov in the village of Ciofliceni, it is a “must see,” what’s more, a “very must see” (I don’t think I wrote that correctly), meaning it’s A MUST-VISIT.
Well, it’s good that I started with the conclusion but at least skim through to see what it’s about.
Mount Carmel
It is the name of a mountain range in Israel, 25 km long, 5–8 km wide, and with a maximum height of 550m, whose extremity forms a promontory in the Mediterranean.
In translation, it means “the garden or vineyard of the Lord” because, unlike the rest of Israel, it stays green all year round. Since ancient times, it has been considered a sacred place, being called “Holy Mountain” by Thutmose III in the 14th century BC.
It is mentioned by Pythagoras, Tacitus, but truly enters biblical history with the prophet Elijah, who made Carmel the spearhead of monotheism. He built an altar on the mountain, prophesying that the true God would send fire from heaven to this altar, which indeed happened, followed by rains that ended the three-year drought that had devastated everything.
During the Crusades in the 12th century, Latin monks took refuge on Mount Carmel, where they lived isolated in caves, following the rule of life given by Patriarch Albert of Jerusalem to “live day and night meditating on the Law of the Lord” following the motto of the prophet Elijah “I am consumed with zeal for the Lord God”.
They compared the beauty of the place with the face of the Virgin Mary, building a small place of worship dedicated to Her. When they were forced to leave the place because of the occupation of the Holy Land by unbelievers, they presented themselves in Western Europe as “The Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel”.
The Order of Discalced Carmelites
In Europe, they took the form of the Mendicant Orders, such as the Franciscans or Dominicans, which were founded at that time.
During the Catholic Reformation in the 16th century, the Order of Discalced Carmelites and the Order of Carmelite Nuns (women) was established in the 16th century by Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross in 1568.
This marked a return to contemplation, austerity, continuous prayer, and dialogue with the Lord. Humans are His creation, and He dwells within the human being.
Personalities who defined and promoted the Order of the Discalced Carmelite Friars
- Teresa of Avila (1515–1582) was a reforming Catholic nun, founder of the Order of Discalced Carmelites, with both male and female branches. She is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church and recognized as a Doctor of the Church.
- John of the Cross (1542–1592), a Spanish mystic, also a founder of the Order, is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church. His poetic work is characterized by contemplative fervor, speculative thought, a preference for antithesis and metaphor, symbol and allegory, and stylistic refinement.
- Paolo Antonio Foscarini (1565 — June 10, 1616) was an Italian scientist who belonged to the Carmelite Order. He was among the first scientists to support Copernicus and promoted the works of Galileo, for which, in 1616, he was condemned by the Inquisition.
- Titus Brandsma (1881–1942), philosopher, was killed at Dachau in 1942. He was a Carmelite friar, professor of philosophy, and critic of the Nazi regime. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1985 and canonized by Pope Francis in 2022.
- Edith Stein (1891–1942), a Jewish convert to Christianity, philosopher, and theologian, took the religious name Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, and was killed at Auschwitz. She was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1998. A philosopher martyred, she was proclaimed co-patroness of Europe by Pope John Paul II.
- Thérèse of Lisieux (1873–1897), nun, writer. She is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church. To this day, reissues have reached millions of copies. Her book is now translated into 60 languages. It is the “mirror” of spiritual childhood, which led Thérèse to holiness in just 24 years.
The Order of Carmelite Monks of Ciofliceni-Snagov
Following the visit of Pope John Paul II to Romania in 1999, it was decided to establish a Carmelite presence in Romania as well.
In the year 2000, several monks from the Veneto (Italy) province arrived and were received in the Bucharest Diocese by Archbishop Ioan Robu.
They initially lived in the Colentina district of Bucharest, from where they began the construction of the monastic complex in Ciofliceni Snagov in 2003. The monastery serves as a house of prayer and formation.
The monastery church was built between 2012–2015. In 2015, it was consecrated by Archbishop Ioan Robu, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Bucharest, and declared a Marian Sanctuary dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
Visiting the Monastery
The coach stopped at the gate of a large courtyard, in the distance, several white buildings of an architectural style that did not let you guess there was a monastery. One of them has a tall square tower, and I understood that there lies the church.
The church is named Queen of Carmel, and you enter through a large door without handles, in their place being two symbolic letters. I was surprised by the interior, which did not resemble any other religious building I had seen before.
The architecture is based on a design by Tudor Rădulescu, who collaborated with Slovak Andrej Stepancic. It aimed to be a concept inspired by traditional Romanian architecture but reconsidered and modernized.
The iconographic theme of the Queen of Carmel Sanctuary is “the garden”. Primarily because, in Hebrew, Carmel means exactly a garden, which is a symbolic space of the meeting between the Creator and creation. Mosaics, stained glass, ceiling with a kind of slats, bas-reliefs, everything perfectly wrapped in a white light.
Jesuit priest Marko Ivan Rupnik, the director of the Aletti Center International School of Art in Rome, declared that “the church is the most successful, from an architectural and theological standpoint, among modern religious constructions in Europe.”
We were greeted by a monk who spoke Romanian correctly with a very slight Italian accent. Essentially, the congregation lives in asceticism and contemplation, and the entire monastery is a school dedicated to learning meditation on the Creator. Antonio Prestipino is the superior of the local congregation.
A part of the monastic complex is designated for hospitality, which includes accommodation facilities for 120 guests, a chapel for 30–40 people, a conference hall with 180 seats equipped with audio and video installations, a dining hall with 120 seats, and a kitchen — all these are located in a separate building complex connected to the monastery but independent from it.
Other Carmelite monasteries in Romania:
- The Carmelite Monastery in Luncani (Bacău) founded in 2002.
- The Carmelite Monastery in Sângeorgiu de Mureș, founded in 2015.
I recommend visiting this unique monastery, which will offer you a new perspective on religious sites and encourage you to meditate as a first step towards absolute faith.
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