Ponor Monastery
≈ 1 hour by car · over 1,300 m altitude
The monastery sits high up, at over 1,300 metres, outside the village of Ponor. It is about 40 kilometres from Aiud and roughly an hour by car from the centre of Sălciua. It is a monks' monastery dedicated to Saint Nectarios, under the guidance of Father Irineu Curtescu, who trained at Sihăstria and spent several years at Athos.
The rule of life here is strict. The monks eat once a day, without meat or fish, and hold night vigils several times a week. A few kilometres further down there is also a convent for nuns, under the same guidance. Only men enter the monks' monastery, and only women the convent.