Červený Kláštor Monastery

Červený Kláštor is a picturesquely situated Carthusian and Camaldolese monastery in the Slovak part of Pieniny, right above the Dunajec River, opposite Sromowce Nižné. The building dates back to the 14th century and is famous for the figure of the monk Cyprian – a legendary herbalist and traveller. Today, there is a museum here, which allows you to learn about the life of the monks, old natural medicine and the history of the region. The monastery is located on a popular cycling route and is a great place to rest and explore. Access is possible both from the Polish side via a bicycle footbridge and from the Slovak side via an asphalt road.

A flying monk lived here. This monastery is situated 465 m above sea level, some 700 m lower than the Ždiar Pass, at Dunajec River.
Probably founded in the 11th (!!!) century, between 1319 and 1563 was owned by the Carthusians (the movie Into Great Silence), very strict enclosed Order. After they were expelled in 1563, the monastery had many owners until the Camaldolese came in 1711. They repaired the buildings giving them a Baroque design, built a tower and soon the Červený Kláštor monastery (its name literally means the Red Monastery, due to the brick colour) became again a centre of industry (they owned many villages and factories), handicraft but also alchemy, a science related to astrology, medicine or pharmacy. Again, in 1782 the monks were expelled and the buildings were abandoned, its great library was taken to Budapest. It ran slowly into ruin again with several attempts to give it a new function. It was finally renovated in 1955-56 and is now protected as a museum. You can visit a Gothic St Anthony Church (14th century), a 15th century refectory with frescoes and a mausoleum. Plus there is a restaurant.

Flying Monk Cyprián.
The most famous monk that lived here was Fr Cyprián (18th century). The legend says he constructed a flying machine and flew from the Trzy Korony Mountain (the biggest one north of you, symbol of Pieniny), the second version says he flew to Morskie Oko Lake in the Tatras where he was turned into a rock (called a Monk), as a punishment. Well, apart from the legend; he was a local da Vinci, spoke five languages, wrote the first catalogue of the Tatra plants (where he described 282 species) that can be found in a Bratislava museum today, he was an expert in medicine and a… cook. Another local monk was Romuald Hadbavný who wrote the first Slovak translation of the Holy Bible and a first Latin-Slovak dictionary.

To finish - Scopolia carniolica (henbale bell) a local relic plant, was used to ease the suffer of hangover. It still can be found close to the Monastery walls..☺

On the old trade route from Hungary to Poland, near a ford over the Dunajec River, before the river cut through the Pieniny Mountains, a hermitage was established, where the monastery was founded in 1320. As atonement for the murder of a provost of the Teutonic Knights of Šariš, Master Kokos granted the village of Lechnica to the Carthusians of the Rock of Refuge (Skala útočišťa) in 1319 for the establishment of a monastery. Charles I Robert signed the founding charter in 1320, but construction of the monastery did not begin until 1330 (Wikipedia).The monastery houses a small museum, and there is also an inn in the monastery courtyard.