The Curtea de Arges Cathedral is one of Romania's most celebrated buildings, both for its architecture and the legend attached to it. Founded by Prince Neagoe Basarab in the early 16th century, it stands in the grounds of a monastery about 1.5 km north of the town center.
The Legend of Master Manole
The cathedral's fame owes much to the myth of Mesterul Manole (Master Manole), its architect. According to the story, a mysterious curse caused everything Manole and his masons built during the day to collapse each night. In desperation, Manole proposed following an ancient custom: walling a living person into the foundations. The other masons warned their families, but Manole's own wife Ana arrived first the next morning. She was sealed into the walls, and the curse lifted.
When Manole told Prince Radu Negru that he could build something even greater, the prince had the masons stranded on the cathedral roof so they could never surpass it. They fashioned wooden wings and tried to fly down, but fell to their deaths. A spring near the cathedral is said to mark where Manole landed. The story, part of the broader "myth of creation through sacrifice" in Romanian culture, has inspired poets from Vasile Alecsandri onward.
The Building
The cathedral is an oblong structure in Byzantine style with Moorish arabesques. A central dome is flanked by two smaller cupolas at the front and a broader, taller dome at the rear. Each summit is crowned by an inverted pear-shaped stone bearing a triple cross. The exterior is faced in pale grey limestone carved with intricate bands of lilies, shields, and wreaths. Inside, brick walls are plastered and covered with frescoes.
The building has been through several restorations: by Prince Serban Cantacuzino in 1681, by Bishop Joseph in 1804, and most extensively between 1875 and 1885, after which it was reconsecrated in 1886. It now also serves as a royal mausoleum, housing the tombs of Romanian kings Carol I and Ferdinand I and their queens.