The ruins of the Princely Court, Curtea de Arges
In 1359, Nicolae Alexandru, the son of Basarab I, established at Curtea de Arges the first seat of the Metropolis of the Romanian Land. The Episcopal Church, known as the Church of the Curtea de Arges Monastery, was built by Neagoe Basarab in 1512-1517. Connected to this church is the legend of Master Manole, who entombed his wife alive in the walls of the church so that they would never crumble. And so that the secret of the monastery’s construction would be preserved forever, Manole himself had to be sacrificed. Left without a ladder on
Saint Nicolae-Domnesc Church the roof of the church, at the command of the prince, Manole made himself wings from wooden laths and tried to descend: he crashed to earth and from his body welled a spring. Such is the legend of Manole’s Well. In 1875, the beautiful triconch church was demolished and rebuilt by French architect Andre Lecomte du Nouy.
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The Episcopal Church of Curtea de Arges houses the tomb of its founder, Neagoe Basarab, and of other members of the royal family (Kings Carol I and Ferdinand, and Queens Elisabeta and Maria).
Curtea de Arges Monastery Muntenia and Oltenia Bucharest Manuc’s Inn
It was Prince Mircea the Old who built the first royal court in Bucharest, between 1400 and 1418. After 1456, the court, situated on the left bank of the Dambovita, was extended to cover an area of seven hundred square metres and was enclosed with a wall by Vlad the Impaler, who established his residence here. It was during his reign, on 20 September 1459, that the city of Bucharest was first attested in a historical document. The old centre is watched over by the Church of the Annunciation, built within the precincts of the Princely Court by Mircea Ciobanu between 1545 and 1559. The church is similar in plan to that of Cozia Monastery.
George Enescu (1881-1955)
In September 2007, Bucharest will host the 18th edition of the George Enescu International Festival and Competition.
The festival was founded in 1958, in homage to the work and the genius of the great Romanian composer.
