The Church Inside The Rock

A video documentary by CĂTĂLIN KISLINGER

Alunis Village is about 150km from Bucharest. The place is surrounded with many ancient mural vestiges. Among those there is a church dating from the 13th century.

Alunis Church was carved in a stony mountain by two shepherds, Vlad and Simion, around 1274. It is said that one of the shepherds, while sleeping, heard a voice urging him to carve in stone, as he will find Virgin Mary's icon. A faithful man, he did just that and found the icon. Consequently, along with the other shepherd and with help from the locals he dug the church hall.

The church was attested by documents in 1351 AD. It was a hermitage for monks until 1871.

Between 1840 and 1850 the wooden church porch is built. This is outside the stone wall and is perpendicular on it.

Next to the church there are three additional rooms, also carved in stone.
These rooms have been used as cells for the monks.

As it did eight centuries ago, the stern image of the cells and the peacefulness of the place still fill with wonder the visitor who stops at Alunis for a moment of prayer.

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