Lainici Monastery

Lainici Monastery is one of the most important historical monuments within the radius of Bumbești. Its name is given by the name of the pass in which it is located.
The monastery was built between 1812-1818, during the reign of Gheorghe Caragea. Tudor Vladimirescu hid in the Lainici Monastery in 1817, dressed in monk’s clothes, to escape the pursuit of the Turks, against whom he had fought in the Russo-Turkish war of 1806-1812.
The new church in Lainici has a unique architectural project in our country.
In the painting of the church above, the most important moments in the history of the Christian church will be marked, with the most representative Saints from all over the world and from all times.”
After 1947, the construction of the Bumbeşti-Livezeni railway and the modernization of the National Road began again, which affected the monastery.
In 1961, the Monastery was abolished as a place of worship, remaining with the title of “guest house”. Until 1970, the church doors were locked, not allowing services to be held except on some Sundays and religious holidays.
The new church, dedicated to the Healing Spring, was built after 1990, architecturally the church is a Greek cross. The porch has columns carved in Vistea stone. The pronaos is separated from the naos by 4 marble-clad columns. The nave has 2 pews and 2 iconostases, the one on the right for the icon of the day and the one on the left for the icon of the patron saint of the church.
Currently, the Lainici Monastery is the most visited objective in Defileul Jiului National Park, annually attracting over 10,000 thousand pilgrims and passers-by. Of these, only a few dozen remain to enjoy the peace and wilderness of the area.

Jiu River

Jiu River is a tributary of the first order of the Danube and joins with it 692 km upstream from the river’s discharge into the Black Sea. The hydrological network is formed by the approximately 30 km sector of the Jiul between the confluence of the East Jiul with the West Jiul and the confluence with the Sadu Creek, towards which all the related streams converge, namely: Leurzoaia, Runcu, Alunu, Bratcu, Repede, Tarniţa, Popii, Pate Rău, Cerbănaşu Mare, Cerbănaşu Mic, Dumitra, Murga Mare, Murga Mică, Ploştina Murgilor, Strâmbuţa and Liliacului on the western slope and Trântor, Ursului, Chitu, Cerbului, Alb, Ciobănaşului and the lower sector of Polatişta on the eastern slope. Other smaller tributaries and secondary tributaries of the mentioned streams are added to them. In total, the hydrological network greatly exceeds the length of 300 km. Most large streams have permanent flow, but with notable seasonal fluctuations. It is formed by the union of two main tributaries: the Western Jiul that springs from the Retezat Mountains and the Eastern Jiul that springs from the southern slope of the Șureanu Mountains, at altitudes of around 1500m.
The Jiului gorge is considered by connoisseurs as the most spectacular and impressive gorge in the country, with steep slopes, narrow and wild valleys, at the same time opening a migration corridor for animals. Beyond the magnificence of the relief, the Jiului Gorge offers us opportunities to spend our free time, be it a short visit or for several days, being highly sought after for outdoor activities, namely rafting, bird watching and recreational fishing. Rafting can be practiced individually or through specialized operators.
On the banks of the Jiu River, there is also the campsite provided by the park administration, a picturesque and easy-to-visit location. The place is equipped with specific furniture, it has a fireplace.

Murga Waterfall

Parking equipped with a rest table located on DN66 after Pietrele Albe, on the way to Bumbești-Jiu, where you “benefit” from the quietness of the Murgii waters and you will find a panel with a fabulous incident from the First World War in these lands. The place is easy to identify on online maps.

History and culture in Defileul Jiului

If you are passionate, we welcome you to contact us to accompany you to places with a special charge, in the heart of the forest and mountains. You will witness the places where fierce battles were fought for the defense of the ancestral territory, discovering the trenches still preserved in perfect condition or you will transpose yourself into moments of life of our ancestors, from recent times, stopping at the mansions of the community, mansions that represent ornaments traditional architecture. You will surely feel the silence but also the voice of nature, an aspect that each of us is looking for at different moments of life.

Visina Monastery

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”.

Locurele Hermitage

On one of the peaks of the Gropu mountain, which drops steeply into Jiu, in a wide meadow called “Locuri Rele”, at an altitude of 750-800 m, there is the Locurele Hermitage. You can get there in an hour’s walk on the road set up by the forestry operations. It is located at a difference in level of 350 m and at a distance of 0.5 km on the serpentine road. It was built in 1850-1852 from wood and after 1855-1858 it was rebuilt from brick in the form in which it is found today.

The clearing in which it is built is guarded by Mount Sliva to the south and the peaks of Parâng to the northeast.

The architecture of the church with 1 m thick walls has a trilobed shape with a spire with polygonal faces, well proportioned to the walls. The church has no tent.

Every year, numerous visitors/believers gather here to participate in the patron saint’s service, while also enjoying an extraordinary landscape. The hermitage is also an intermediate point in the hike on the thematic route “Defileul Jiului and its treasures”.

Nature Reserve Sfinxul Lainicilor

The Sphinx of the Lainici is a natural reserve that aims to preserve the natural element with landscape value represented in this case by the geological formation with the appearance of a sphinx, formed by the modeling of a rock by environmental climatic factors (freeze/thaw/precipitation/wind).
Considering the significance of this formation, visible from different points of the park, but especially from the area of the access roads that pass through National Park, the park administration created a thematic route from three directions to the highest point of the formation. This route is most used by hiking enthusiasts. More information can be found in the specific route menu.

The monument of General Dragalina

General Ion Dragalina is among the large number of heroes who gave their lives for the unity of the nation during the 1916-1918 war. While inspecting the troops, he was seriously wounded on October 12, 1916 near Lainici and despite all the care of the doctors, the wound he received would cause his death on November 6, 1918 in a hospital in Bucharest.

The monument was erected in 1927, inaugurated on October 12, in memory of the general who fell near Lainici, on the left bank of the Jiu, in the place where he was wounded.

The monument reminds the traveler of the battle fought by the Romanian troops in 1916 under the command of General Dragalina to defend the gorge against the attack of the German armies. It consists of a white marble cross placed on a cement plinth.