travels
the Curtea de Arges Monastery
The town of Curtea de Arges (Romania) lies 38 km northwest of Pitesti, at the foot of the Fagaras mountains, in the Arges river valley. Written documents give evidence of the fortified town of Arges since 1330, whereas during the Middle Ages, it was the second capital of Wallachia after Câmpulung and before Târgoviste The Monastery Curtea de Arges, built in Albesti stone along with marble and mosaic brought from Constantinople by Neagoe Basarab (1512-1521), has the classical harmonious aspect of an Orthodox church. The walls are decorated with rectangular or semicircular niches with stone ornaments around. . Above the nave there is one spire, clubs shaped, and above the pronaos thre are three. The roof is made by lead, worked with the hammer. The surface of the monastery is of 756 square metres and is 31 metres high. The exterior remained generally the same from the time of Neagoe Basarab. 1985-08-17.
