Bisericuța Păgânilor (Templul Idolilor)

About the place

Bisericuța Păgânilor is not a church and has no trace of any building. It is a group of rounded conglomerate rocks that appear unexpectedly in the middle of the forest, forming a hollow with an isolated rock in the centre, like a giant shepherd's hat. The German name of the place is Der Götzentempel — the Temple of the Idols.

The legend

A wide slab in front of the formation, today covered with earth and leaves, is said to have served as a place of sacrifice — recorded by the historian Heinrich Wachner in 1934. A second local story says that some Turks who survived a failed siege of Râșnov Fortress made a place of prayer here. For many people of Râșnov it is a place of quiet reflection, visited at weekends for its calm.

Getting there

The official trail is 05MN56, marked with a yellow triangle , linking Peștera Râșnoavei to the rock formation: 0.9 km, about 15 minutes, 65 m of ascent, easy. The path branches off the Drumul Albastru (blue-stripe Brașov–Râșnov), in front of the cave, and climbs through spruce and beech forest.

From the centre of Râșnov, the long variant is about 5.2 km and 1.5 hours, on blue stripe then yellow triangle. Another route starts on the forest road south of town, from the Dobrice district, near the Old Romanian Church.

The viewpoint

Two or three minutes from the rocks, via a short detour, you reach a bare rock at 925 m altitude. From there you see the entire western flank of Postăvaru — Crucuru Mare, Prăpastia Lupului, Vanga Mică and Vanga Mare, Porțile de Piatră, Cheile Râșnovului — and, to the right and further off, the northern end of the Bucegi. This is the main reason it is worth the climb.

Good to know

The markings on the long variant are uneven and easy to miss; the short trail from the cave is clear. We recommend hiking shoes, checking the weather and avoiding the trail after heavy rain. There are no facilities, water or food points along the way.