Biserica Sf. Nicolae - Porceşti

Turnu Roșu, located in the commune of the same name on the right bank of the Olt river, at its entrance to the gorge, represents a medieval fortification. In the past, the guard of the Olt pass ensured the security of the Tălmaciu fortress (1370), but in 1453, Iancu de Hunedoara demolished it and built Turnu Roșu instead. This fortification consisted of a courtyard flanked by bastions, with the aim of blocking Olt at the point where the pass opens to Transylvania. Today, of the entire medieval construction, only a massive tower remains, the result of a later reconstruction.

According to tradition, the tower is said to have been painted with Turkish blood following the battle of 1493, when a Turkish army was defeated, leaving behind 15,000 dead, bleeding Olt with their own lives. The tower was also a frequent place visited by Empress Maria Theresa, who spent several days here every summer.

In the memory of the locals, Red Tower now revives the crazy memories of love experienced by Maria Tereza there, between the inflamed walls, as recorded in the "Book of Olt".

On the left side of Olt, near the Turnu Roșu railway station, there is a beautiful church, Sfântul Nicolae - Porcești, built by ruler Matei Basarab in 1653.

Source: Bucharest-Sibiu (Ministry of Tourism, 1977)