Gostinari Church: Ruins from a Lost World

If you’d like to visit Gostinari Church and other monuments around Bucharest, contact us via www.uncover-romania-tours.com

Gostinari is less than 40 km away from Bucharest, but it’s really worlds apart from Romania’s trendy and fast-paced capital. Located close to Comana Nature Park, Gostinari Church attracts very few tourists, but those who do come have the chance of seeing the dramatic ruins of the former village church.

Decay and oblivion

Gostinari Church was built around 1817 by Stefan Bellu, the descendant of an old Macedonian family, but named after Barbu Bellu, a notable political figure from the first part of the 19th century, the same Barbu Bellu who donated the land for the Bellu Cemetery.

The church walls in ruins

Abandoned in the mid-19th century, the church still conserves today, even if only partly, its original dimensions. Its ruins are guarded by a tower that once served as an access gate for the property of the Bellu family. The family mansion no longer exists and sometime in its more than 150 years of abandonment, the rooftop of the church collapsed, leaving its painted interiors and its three towers unprotected. The results are dramatic, to say the least.

While we can only imagine how lovely it must have been when it was part of the Bellu estate, this church in ruins offers a unique perspective on what it means to not care about the past enough to save it. Even so, it’s definitely worth going if you enjoy taking photos of monuments in ruins or if you want to discover a completely different world less than one hour away from Bucharest.

Travel tips

Combine your trip to Gostinari Church with a visit to Comana located just a few kilometers away. Before entering the nature park, visit the beautiful Comana Monastery, founded by the legendary medieval prince Vlad the Impaler.

If you’d like to visit Gostinari Church and other monuments around Bucharest, contact us via www.uncover-romania-tours.com