The Tismana Monastery, which is located west of Târgu Jiu, was founded in the 14th century.
The monastery was built in 1377 by the monk Nicodim, on the place of an earlier wooden place of worship. Mircea the Old accomplished the work, as mentioned in a monument of donation from that year. The cells sector, restored between 1976 and 1979, shelters an exhibition of mediaeval art, rare books and manuscripts, religious art and frescoes from 1732, wooden icons. Other repairs were performed in 1983 and 1985.
The architecture of Tismana Monastery is in the Byzantine style of the 14th century, resembling the churches in Macedonia and Athos, also showing a few Romanian architectural elements.
The actual church of the monastery is built directly on the rock,
following a triconic plan with steeples on the nave, pronaos and porch.
Along the years, it suffered many transformations.
The church was painted in 1564 by Dobromir from Targoviste, being financially supported by the great magistrate Nedelcu. The painting is in the post- Byzantine style, in a polichrome fresco, applied on the initial monochrome fresco.
The Monastery of Tismana had an extraordinary treasure, now lost because of the numerous hardships that came over the monastery during the centuries.
A great part of the valuable objects of the monastery are now at the Art Museum in Bucharest.
