The story of Queen Maria's heart, hidden in the rock for 27 years.

The Heart of Queen Marie Church

Little known but of unparalleled beauty, the Heart of Queen Marie Church in Bran hides an extremely beautiful story about Queen Marie. A faithful replica of the *Stella Maris Church in Balchik, a town on the Black Sea coast ceded by Romania to Bulgaria after World War II, the church was built in Byzantine style at the request of Princess Ileana, in memory of her mother, Queen Marie*.

The Story of Queen Marie's Heart

The story goes that one of Queen Marie's greatest pleasures was to spend her time at the chapel in Balchik, and her wish was to have her heart buried there after her passing. Since this was no longer possible, the princess requested the construction of a small chapel in Bran, in close proximity to Bran Castle.

• The box containing the queen's heart was temporarily placed in the wooden church of Bran Castle.
• After a year, it was moved to a crypt carved into the rock of Măgura Branului, waiting for the church to be completed.

The Impact of the Communist Regime

However, the year 1947 marked the abolition of the monarchy in Romania by the communist regime, so although the chapel was finished on time, it was never consecrated, and Queen Marie's heart remained hidden in the rock for 27 years!

Only in 1968 did the director of the Bran Museum, along with others, open the crypt and the sarcophagus and find the golden box containing the queen's heart. Inside the golden box was another silver box wrapped in the English and Romanian flags, as well as several platinum mounts and precious stones. Since then, Queen Marie's heart has been at the National Museum of Romanian History.

The Chapel Today

In 2005, the chapel was renovated, and since then it has become an important tourist attraction for foreigners and locals alike.