The Cistercian Abbey from Cârţa

In the centre of Cârţa village sits the only surviving Cistercian Abbey in Romania and the easternmost in Europe.

The legend has it that around 1202, when they built the spectacular monastery, the Cistercian monks made the very Devil green with envy, and he vainly tried to beat their craftsmanship.

These ascetic monks, famous for their diligence, erected here an edifice that proved influential for Transylvanian architecture. Originally Romanesque, the abbey was later rebuilt in an Early Gothic style.

The rows of columns and vaults, the Gothic rosettes, the ruins with their nostalgic patina give this place an austere, peculiar and magnificent charm.

Photo and Text SOURCE: http://www.sibiu-turism.ro/Ce-vizitam-Cultura-si-patrimoniu-Patrimoniu-religios-Biserici-fortificate-Abatia-cisterciana-de-la-Carta.aspx