Sometimes I get a wild hair and just research something I know little to nothing about. Today, it was Romania. Why? It just popped in my head and I realized I know very, very little about this country.
I did know it was close to Ukraine. I thought and confirmed it was on the Black Sea.
So, in typical Pat Fashion. I googled and googled and read and read.
Fair warning -- all photos have come from various other websites.
I did find something that peaked my interest. A small monastery on an little island on a lake or possibly a river -- north of Bucharest and north of the town of Snagov.
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| https://covinnus.com/snagov-monastery/ |
The inside of this tiny building is just lovely.
But first .... a bit of history.
"The first historical evidence dates back to 1408, but apparently there was a small chapel here, since the reign of Vladislav I (1364-1379). In 1456, Vlad Tepes decided, that in this isolated place surrounded by water and forests, to build a prison for traitors, a defensive wall, a bridge to connect the earth to the island and a underwater refuge tunnel.
The church of the establishment was restored by Prince Neagoe Basarab in 1521. Built of brick in the Byzantine style, with four polygonal towers covered with tiles, like the rest of the roof, the church is among the most beautiful of its kind in the area. Inside the church is adorned by splendid frescoes of the fifteenth century, along with portraits of prominent personalities of the time such as St.Neagoe Basarab and his son Teodosie, Mircea Ciobanul with the whole family. Although, over time, the frescoes have underwent many transformations and restorations, these make up the largest mural ensemble that is preserved in a church in Romania. The cultural value of the settlement increased in 1643, when the Ruler Matei Basarab endowed the settlement with a printing press. Here were printed books in Greek, Slavic, Arabic and Latin."
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| https://covinnus.com/snagov-monastery/ |
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| https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Snagov_monastery_left_side.JPG |
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| https://europeupclose.com/article/tracking-down-dracula-at-snagov-monastery/ |
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| https://www.imperialtransilvania.com/2018/08/29/read-more/argomenti/places-of-interest-1/articolo/the-snagov-monastery-the-island-that-houses-the-tomb-of-vlad-tepes-known-also-as-dracula.html |
The monastery's other claim to fame is it houses the tomb of Count Dracula (Vlad the Impaler) whose death and burial is cloaked in mystery. Different story.
Many of the travel websites say it is not particularly architecturally significant.
"The current exterior is sand-colored brick with characteristic arches and four polygonal towers. The interior is ornate and brightly-colored as is the fashion with Romanian churches, but it can’t claim the aesthetic merits of, say, the wooden churches of Maramureş in northern Romania, recognized World Heritage sites."
I thought it lovely and captivating.
Pat
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