Topolnița Hermitage is an old orthodox monastery, located on Topolnita’s river valley, in Izvoru Barzii commune, at about 35 km of Drobeta Turnu Severin. It is the only existing hermitage in Mehedinti County.

The Patron of the sanctuary is Beheading of St. John the Baptizer (29th of August) and Saints Constantine and Helena (21st of May).
The monastery, an architectural monument, was founded in the XIVth century (1376-1384, during the reign of Radu cel Frumos). The tradition names as founder the monk Nicodim that continued his plan for building several sanctuaries in the western part of Oltenia.

The existing church, shaped as Greek cross, was built in 1646, by Lupu Buliga. The old church is built in in Byzantine style, built up from stone and brick. The entrance in the church is done through a twin door, set in a stone portal. The church was painted in 1673, in Byzantine fresco, by the painters Grigore “the Greek” and Dima. The fresco “Last Judgement” painted on exterior frontage of the western wall is outstanding. In the transept can be seen the gravestones of the family Buliga, the founders, with a remarkable historical and artistic importance.

After the impropriation (1863), the hermitage was abandoned and it was re-founded in 1930. In 1932, the Historical Monuments Commission made partial repairs and three cells were rebuilt. There were executed repairs and rehabilitations and in the past years cells frames and a pier for preventing the floods were built.

The church of the monastery, with “Beheading of St. John the Baptizer” as the Patron, has the following dimensions: 17,8m x 7,20m, massive walls of stone and brick. The cells are located in the northern, western and southern part of the premises and were built on the old basements from the XVII th century and the last two cells were re-built in 1940.

Topolnița Hermitage, an architectural monument, is included in the touristic circuit.