In the 14th and 15th centuries, the monasteries, in addition to the fact that they owned large feudal properties, were also centers of culture, where Slavonic literature was taught, where church books were copied. The “Diecii” – secretaries for the royal chancelleries and the boyar courts – were recruited from here.
One of these monasteries built in this period is the Vişina monastery built next to a Dacian defense tower, which may have had a sanctuary next to it. About the Vişina Monastery, the documents show us that it was built by Mircea the Elder under the mountain. Located in the Jiului gorge, it can be considered among the oldest religious places in Gorj county built by Mircea the Elder.
Its ruins can be seen on the right side of Jiu. Originally built of stone by Mircea the Elder, it is documented in a charter from 1514, by which Neagoe Basarab confirmed to the monastery the control over half of the Baiului estate and over the Porceni settlement, from the mouth of the Pig.
For the locals, it was of great importance because it was the first “hotbed” of culture in these lands.
The document of December 14, 1514 certifies the erection of the monastery by Mircea the Elder. By this Neagoe Basarab confirms to those who live at the Vişina monastery, to Abbot Grigore with all the brothers, the monks” that it will be their home with the gardens and the entire border where it has been since ancient times since the days of Mircea Voivod”.
The elements of the Byzantine style were harmoniously combined in the construction of this monastery. This historical monument speaks over the centuries of the indestructible aspiration for freedom of the inhabitants. The reconstitution of the Vișina Monastery began on October 19, 1994, preserving the original patron saint. The holy monastery has the patron saint “Holy Trinity”.
