Curtea de Argeş Monastery

The town of Curtea de Argeş (Argeş Court) is one of the oldest towns in Romania, founded in the early 13th century and first capital of Wallachia after the unification of Romanian pincipalities under the rule of Basarab I (The Founder - Întemeietorul).

The Cathedral of Curtea de Argeş, having as patron St. Nicholas, was completed in 1526 and is part of a monastery. During its history it was vandalized by foreign invasions, but repaired in 1681 by Prince Şerban Cantacuzino, restored in 1804, by Joseph, the first bishop and reconstructed between 1875 and 1885 by King Carol I to today's splendid look. Inside the cathedral can be found the tombs of the Romanian royal family: King Carol I (1866 - 1914) and Queen Elisabeth (also known as Carmen Silva), King Ferdinand I (1914 - 1927) and Queen Marie, King Carol II.

The cathedral is famous in Romanian folklore due to the legend of Meşterul Manole (Manole The Master Builder): it is said that, due to the fact that the church kept tumbling, he had to build his beloved wife inside its walls. Nowadays there is a mark on the cathedral's wall in the place she is supposed to have been enclosed. It is also said that after the completion of the church the masons were left on the roof (so they couldn't build a more beautiful church). To get down, Manole built some wings and crashed into the ground. In that place a fresh water spring appeared (the today's spring in the park near the monastery).

Below are some of my photos, while the location is this.