Snagov Monastery: the island monastery of Vlad the Impaler
Snagov Monastery (Mănăstirea Snagov) is a medieval Orthodox monastery on an island in the northern part of Lake Snagov, in Ilfov County, southern Romania, a short trip north of Bucharest. Founded by the early 15th century and rebuilt in 1521, it is known as an old centre of printing and as the place linked by tradition to the burial of Vlad the Impaler.
Tradition says Vlad the Impaler was buried before the altar of this island church, yet when archaeologists opened the tomb in the 1930s they found nothing of relevance inside.
The history of Snagov Monastery
Archaeological research in 1933 showed that a first monastic settlement stood on this island in the 11th century. It was built of wood and burned down. The monastery as we know it is probably one of the late foundations of Mircea the Elder and was first documented in 1408, though written mentions of a monastery here go back to the second half of the 14th century, in the time of Dan I. In 1453 Vladislav II built a chapel dedicated to the Annunciation; local legend says it sank into the lake around 1600, and its imperial doors, found on the shore, are kept today at the National Art Museum of Romania.
Around 1456, on the orders of Vlad III, the island received defence walls, a bridge to the mainland and a prison for traitors and thieves. The prison worked until about 1856. Tunnels under the island, said to date from the same period, are supposed to lead to the shore. The monastery thus became a place of refuge as well as a place of exile. After the suppression of the 1848 revolution in Wallachia, some of its leaders, among them Mitiță Filipescu, were held on the island.
The present church was built by Neagoe Basarab in 1521, after an earthquake destroyed the earlier building. It underwent major renovation in the middle of the 16th century under Mircea Ciobanul. Its walls were painted in 1563, in the reign of Petru Șchiopul, by Dobromir the Young, and that painting survives only in the narthex; the paintings in the nave and altar date from 1815 and are by Gheorghe Zugravul. The church also served as a princely necropolis, and tombstones of dignitaries beheaded for treason or forced into monastic life are still kept there.
Snagov became a pan-Orthodox centre after Matei Basarab set up a printing press in 1643. Its high point came under Constantin Brâncoveanu, when Anthim the Iberian was abbot from 1694 to 1705 and printed church books in Romanian, Greek, Arabic, Old Church Slavonic and Georgian. A convent of nuns lived on the island until 1810. The oak bridge to the mainland was burned in 1821 and not replaced until 2009, when a modern walkway was built. The church was damaged by the earthquakes of 1977 and 1986 and repaired between 1998 and 2000.
Curiosities about Snagov Monastery
- By local belief, Vlad the Impaler lies buried in front of the altar; the monks are said to have buried him quietly after his death in 1476, and the historians Alexandru Odobescu and Nicolae Iorga shared the view.
- The tomb examined by the archaeologist Dinu Rosetti in 1933–1934 held nothing of relevance. One theory says the remains were stolen; another says the swampy ground let them dissolve into the lake.
- Another coffin found nearby held a clothed body and objects fitting a ruler, but they disappeared after being taken to the History Museum in Bucharest, before analysis could be done.
- Some historians think Vlad’s grave may rather be at his foundation of Comana, in Giurgiu County, though no source discusses this as a firm possibility.
- The monastery housed for long periods one of the few coin-minting centres of Wallachia, and was popularly called a “bănie”, a mint.
- A Romanian tradition places a tunnel under the water between the island and the shore, which is said still to exist.
Tours near Snagov Monastery
Experiences in the area that you can book online with Viator:
Visiting Snagov Monastery: what to see
- Only the church, the bell tower and a fountain of the old monastery still stand; the other buildings on the island are recent or ruins.
- The church is Byzantine in style with Romanian decorative touches, with exposed brick outside and sixteen pillars of varied geometric shapes visible on the outside of the pronaos.
- The great bell tower is built of river stone and exposed brick, and in the nave, in front of the royal doors, lies the slab linked to Vlad the Impaler.
- The island is reached from the shore by a pedestrian walkway built in 2009, so the setting in the lake is part of the visit.
- Sites of Bucharest on this guide, such as the Basarab Overpass, Cantacuzino Palace and Cernica Monastery, lie about 32 to 33 km away. Check the current opening hours before you go.
Opening hours, access and conditions can change. Check before you go.
Map: where Snagov Monastery is
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors
Photos of Snagov Monastery
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Questions
Where is Snagov Monastery?
It stands on an island in the northern part of Lake Snagov, in Ilfov County, southern Romania, a short distance north of Bucharest.
Is Vlad the Impaler buried at Snagov Monastery?
Local tradition says so, and a slab in the nave marks the place. But the tomb opened in the 1930s contained nothing relevant, so it cannot be confirmed.
When was Snagov Monastery founded?
It was probably one of the late foundations of Mircea the Elder and is first documented in 1408. The present church was built by Neagoe Basarab in 1521.
Why is Snagov Monastery important?
It was a pan-Orthodox cultural centre with a printing press from 1643, and under Anthim the Iberian it printed books in several languages.
How do you reach the island?
A modern pedestrian walkway built in 2009 connects the island with the shore, replacing an oak bridge burned in 1821.
Was Snagov Monastery ever a prison?
Yes. Around 1456 a prison for traitors and thieves was built on the island on the orders of Vlad III, and it functioned until about 1856.
Also nearby
Cantacuzino Palace
Bucharest · Beaux Arts palace and George Enescu museum
32 km away
Basarab Overpass
Bucharest · Europe’s widest cable-stayed bridge
32 km away
Foișorul de Foc
Bucharest · fire lookout turned firefighters’ museum
32 km away
Kretzulescu Church
Bucharest · Brâncovenesc church by Revolution Square
33 km away