ARGES MONASTERY

1. ARGES MONASTERY YESTERDAY, TODAY, TOMORROW

2. The town of Curtea de Arges lies 38 km northwest of Pitesti, at the foot of the Fagaras mountains, in the Arges river valley. • Located at the end of a boulevard with hundred of years old linden trees, Curtea de Arges Monastery is the most important pilgrimage and prayer place in the county of Arges, with the “Assumption of the Virgin” as its dedication day. • 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.

3. Over time, it endured several restoration sessions. The present shape was given by the French architect Andre Lecomte du Nouy and the Romanian architect Nicolae Gabrielescu, in the last half of the 19th century. The restoration works were finished in 1885, and the church was dedicated on 12 October 1886. • Inside the church, the visitor’s attention is captured by the mural paintings in oil, made by the French painters F. Nicolle and Ch. Renouard and by the Romanian painter N. Constantinescu from Curtea de Arges, the votive panels, the founders' graves, the iconostasis in marble, gilt bronze and onyx, its icons in mosaic, but the most impressive of all is the group of 12 wonderful pillars with original floral ornaments representing 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 relics of Saint Filofteea, parts of the relics of Saints Serghie, Vach and martyr Tatiana and the Great Saturday Gospel Resurrection, written in gold by Queen Elizabeth can also be found inside the monastery. The mortal remains of Kings Ferdinand and Carol I and Queens Elisabeth and Maria rest here as well. • 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.

4. The legend of the Cathedral has deep roots in the cultural heritage of Romania, whose few myths include the "Myth of creation through sacrifice". • Legend says that prince Radu Negru employed a well-known master mason called Manole to build his cathedral. Mysteriously, everything was built during daytime by Manole while his masons were falling down by night. When Manole was unable to finish the walls, Prince Radu threatened him and his assistants with death. To appease the prince, Manole suggested that they should follow the ancient custom of placing a living woman into the foundations. All then agreed that the first woman to appear on the following morning should be the victim. Manole, with trust in God, prayed for his wife to come later the next morning, but all the others who understood the agreement cheated Manole and warned their families. So, Manole had to keep his word and sacrifice his own wife, Ana. She was thereby sentenced by the agreement and her early arrival and was built alive, with her unborn baby, into the foundation. As a result, the cathedral was built and nothing bad happened until it was finished. When Manole and his masons told the prince that they could later build an even greater building, Radu Negru had them stranded on the roof so that they could never build anything to match it. The workmen, hoping to survive, crafted wooden wings and tried to fly off the roof but, one by one, they all fell to the ground and died. Is is said that the spring of clear water you can see below the cathedral rose up to mark the spot where Manole fell. Local people call it "Manole's fountain".

5. Visitors love Curtea de Arges because of its warm, nice people as well as its picturesque charm and green streets. • The beginnings of this town are mysterious. Some historians maintain that archaeological discoveries from 500 B.C. show that Dacian kings were using this place as a residence and that the area was inhabited by a Dacian tribe.Others report finding evidence of inhabitants only dating from the 11th century. In fact Curtea de Arges is one of the oldest Romanian cities. And it was the residence of Wallachian rulers for a couple of centuries.The first documents to prove the existence of Curtea de Arges dates from the 14th century A.D., when old maps (such as Latinus Parisimus Code, 1396) show a small fortress called Argis. • In present times, the only standing part is the Royal Church. The plan of the church is based on the Greek cross and is one of the largest churches of that time built in this style in southeastern Europe.Perhaps the most famous sight in Curtea de Arges is the Curtea de Arges Cathedral, built in the early 16th century, which stands on the grounds of a monastery. Right now it is in the midst of a prolonged restoration. So, you won't see much of the exterior architecture but you can fruitfully visit the inside. In the Cathedral of Curtea de Arges Monastery one can also visit the tombs of Romanian kings and queens.