Mănăstirea Pătrunsa – Bărbăteşti

The hermitage is dedicated to “Saint Paraschiva”, after the name of bishop Climent’s mother. It was built in 1740 by Bishop Climent of Râmnic, in remembrance of the fact that he was born there by his mother, Paraschiva Modoran from the village Pietrarii de Jos, who was trying to escape the turkish invaders by fleeing into the mountains; she found shelter at the Buila Mountain valley, in a place called Pătrunsa.

The hermitage was destroyed by a fallen cliff, and it had to be rebuilt, in the second half of the 18th century, by the seneschal Dumitru, parish priest Pietraru and postelnicul Ion Bărbătescu, probably descendants of bishop Climent.

The present building dates from the 19th century, and the painting is done in the
brâncoveanu style with popular influences (see St. Dumitru, St. George painted above the entrance on the outside porch). The church was modified in 1963 and 1977, when the abbot Veniamin Grigorescu (1935-1975)’s house was built and Paul Niculescu 1975-1990, when the porch was closed and the roof of the church was covered in iron boards. In 2006 a new church was built.