Sinaia Monastery

Sinaia Monastery gave its name to the mountain town and was founded in 1695 by a Wallachian nobleman who named it after Mount Sinai, which he had visited. Two courtyards hold an old church and a larger nineteenth-century one, both decorated with frescoes and set among stone cells. The monastery sheltered Romania's first government offices during the fight for independence and keeps a small museum of religious art. Surrounded by forested slopes near Peles Castle, it remains an active retreat and a popular stop for visitors.