Curtea de Arges Cathedral

About

Commissioned in the early 16th century by voivode Neagoe Basarab, the Cathedral’s construction is legendary throughout Romania. The architect Meşterul Manole was hired to construct a most magnificent cathedral, but tragedy followed. Along with having to sacrifice his wife, Manole and the other masons were left stranded on the building’s roof so the would never work again. Desperate to escape, they fashioned wooden wings and tried to fly off the roof. A spring named after Manole is said to mark the spot where he hit the ground. This original structure was reconstructed in the 19th century, leaving an almost entirely different building. The facade is heavily ornamented with geometric patterns, but this is nothing compared to the interior. Dripping with gold and covered from floor to ceiling in frescoes, visitors can marvel at the opulence before admiring the saintly relics, and the Great Saturday Gospel Resurrection, written in gold by Queen Elizabeth.