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Curtea de Arges Monastery

Curtea de Arges and its surroundings is one of the most ancient settlements mentioned by Romanian history. In the XIIIth century the high fortress of Poenari with its defence works and walls that connected it directly to the lower riverbed had made this place famous. Around the middle of the next century the Royal Court of the Basarabs and the Church Royal Saint Nicholas make the whole settlement around them famous: the future Curtea de Arges.

According to documents, inscriptions and archaeological excavations, the history of this ancient royal territory, even if does not mention the exact date when the first settlements were founded, it proves that these developed rapidly enough. Thus, in the middle of the XIVth century both a royal throne and an important church organization are mentioned.

Thus, state power associated with religious power adorn the Valley of the river Arges with war exploits and churches which preserve its religious function, even when the capital moves to Targoviste.

It is beyond any doubt that the church built by Neagoe Basarab (1512 - 1521) is the most valuable building of church art and architecture of all the monuments in the royal region of Arges along centuries.

Begun in 1514 by Neagoe Basarab's will to have a monument like no other in the world, the construction of the church finished three years later, so that on January 7th 1514 the founder could already talk about "the monastery of my royal highness at Arges" and offer it "the customs at Ocna Mica at Targoviste...".

Listening not only to the legend but also to some historical data, it seems that the chruch could not be finished before Neagoe Basarab passed away because of lack of time and money, although his Queen had sacrificed her jewelry for it.

Thus, it was the king's son-in-law, Radu of Afumati (1522 - 1529), to accomplish with this oath, as soon as he became king; it is also confirmed by the church inscription from the 10th of September 1526, that also mentions the name of the painter Dobromir.

According to all historical testimony, Neagoe Basarab built his church on the foundation of an older one, which has been the first Metropolitan Church of Vallachia. Neagoe found it "destroyed and non consolidated... he built it from the very foundation". Gavriil Protul, a chronichler of the great king's life, confirmes this. He shows that Neagoe "completely demolished the Metropolitan Church in Arges and built in its place another Holy Church, also made of carved stone that had been made smooth and engraved with flowers...".

In this initial form, the Monastery Church Curtea de Arges, known since 1793 as the "Episcopal Church" because it became the residence of the bishop of the Arges region, it is, if not the most important, no noubt one of the most representative buildings of the architecture of the XVIth century.

Documents mention it as such and so do all foreign travellers who were lodged in its cells. Some of them, like Paul of Alep in 1654 consider Neagoe's ancient settlement to be "one of the miracles of the world". Similar words of high appreciation wrote in 1794 also the Englishman Robert Ainsillie and later on the French painters Bouguet and Lancelot, whose travel notes and prints made Neagoe Basarab's monastery worldwide famous.

After some partial restoration and extensions added to it in time, damaged by a powerful fire, the Episcopal Church Curtea de Arges was rebuilt as one can see it nowadays by the French Architect Andre Lecomte du Nouy and the Romanian architect Nicolae Gabrielescu, the inspector of the restoration work in the second half of the last century. It was finished in 1885 and consecrated on the 12th of November 1886.

Today it consists of one pronaos, organically united to the main building. The pillars inside uphold a tower in the middle and two lateral little towers that adorn the western facade of the church. The latters, with their exterior adornment, twisted like a big knitting of thick brickwork fibres, at first sight give the impression that they will soon fall one upon the other and that they are screwing into the sky. The rest of the church and the altar, with absides that fullfil its cross form, uphold a high tower. This joins the rest of the building through vaults. The result is an architectural ensemble that is incomparably slender.

In front of the entrance there is an open holy water font, uphold by four columns in marble, of various colours and drawings.

Like the whole church, this is a remarkable work of art. Seen from the west, the holy water font with its lead cover and the gilt cross is projected on the 12 steps that ascend towards the entrance into the Holy Church and on the frame that surrounds it like a portal added to it.

Inside there are the excellent oil painting made by the French painters F. Nicolle, Ch. Renouard and the Romanian N. Constantinescu of Curtea de Arges, the votive panels, the founders' graves, the iconostasis in marble, gilt bronz and onyx, its icons in mosaic, but the most impressive of all is the group of 12 wonderful pillars with original floral ornaments representind the 12 Saint Apostles.

The old iconostasis from the XVIIth century, having very original icons and ornaments, was sheltered in the church of the village in the Valley of Dan for some time and is in the Collection of church art objects in the Monastery Curtea de Arges now.

The iconostasis, according to its style dates back to the reign of Serban Cantacuzino (1678 - 1688), who, according to one of the church inscriptions on the western wall, repaired the Saint Church in 1682.

In the very neighbourhood of the monastery there purls the fairy tale spring, named by natives "Manole's fountain". This name carries in itself after centuries the story of the artist who built the church. After finishing it he could not get down because the stairs had been taken away. So, he made shingle wings and, like another Icarus, he jumped down from the church roof and fell at the basis. The legend says that in that place he had walled his own living wife up. His soul transformed into a clear song of a spring.

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Curtea de Arges Monastery

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