Horezu and Curtea de Arges

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In the province of Wallachia in the south of Romania there are two wonderful public secrets; namely the monastery of Horezu and the cathedral of Curtea de Arges which was built as a part of the monastery. Different and yet comparable, these structures date from the respectively 17th and 16th centuries and retain their own charm.

Curtea is built of marble and mosaic from Istanbul and is the final resting place for many old Romanian kings while the monastery of Horezu is blessed with many Brancovean frescoes and is also on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

The monastery of Horezu is not accessible by public transport. It is located about 4 kilometers from the center of the city with the name of the same name and you will either have to get a lift (hitchike) or you have to walk. From the village of Horezu minibuses run to and from Ramnicu Valcea (1.5 hours) and to Bucharest (3.5 hours for 37 Lei).

In contrast, the monastery of Curtea de Arges is close to the center of the city - about one and a half kilometers (walking distance). You can go to Ramnicu Valcea with buses – costs are 13 Lei in the distance you cover in about one and a half hours

• Name: Monastery Curtea de Arges

Price: 2 Lei (photos or films is an extra 10 Lei)

Time: 08:00 to 19:00

Content:

The cathedral was built as part of the monastery of Curtea de Arges in the beginning of the 16th century by order of prince Basarab. The building is a masterpiece finished with mosaic and marble from Istanbul and contains the royal tombs of Carol I and his wife Elizabeth. In addition to the client Basarab, King Ferdinand I and his English Queen Marie are also buried here in the marble tombs. At her request, her heart was put in a golden box and buried at her favorite spot in the province South Dobrogea - when the Bulgarians took over this area in 1940, it was transferred to a marble tomb in Bran where it still lies.

Legend tells us that a woman has been bricked in the masonry. The construction of the cathedral did not want to raft and at night the supervisor Manole had a dream in which he was told that a loved one should be sacrificed. He decided that the first woman to bring lunch the next day would be sacrificed for the men. All women were informed except his own wife.

A small text on one of the outer walls would indicate where her grave would be. The complex is situated in a beautiful park surrounded by rose bushes, trees and flowers.

• Name: monastery complex Horezu

Price: 100 Lei (room), 25 Lei (dormitory)

Phone nr. : 0250-860071

Content:

You have three options to stay here overnight and all in and around the same building. Just outside the inner grounds of the monastery a building has been erected which is called the monastery complex; it’s a hotel although also nuns and monks are living there.

I have not seen the rooms so I can not judge that. I did see a room that serves as a dormitory - I saw a clean, sterile room with four "normal" beds (so no bunk beds); at the end of the corridor are two showers and toilets. I had warm water (not really hot) and everything is there - towel, toilet paper and soap and everything is clean. No idea how it works with food and drink but there is a well with drinking water that you can use and I ate with the nuns and monks.

I myself slept on a lawn behind the complex in a tent. I was allowed to use the toilet and shower of the dormitories and I had a free meal. I also did not have to pay anything for my overnight stay.

If you want to get a feeling of what it is like to live in a monastery, you should definitely spend a day (and especially early morning and evening) on the grounds of Horezu monastery. I advise you to sit somewhere and watch the whole scene passing by. With a bit of luck you can eat and experience how life goes.

At fixed times, fixed things such as "walking around" the temple with a wooden stick (read: paddle) happens on which a tune is struck. There are nuns and monks in the temple praying on the dark wooden chairs and people read aloud. It seems like a regulated, simple life where stress and backbiting do not exist - but who am I to judge after being there just for a few hours.

TIP: during the day it is busy with tourists who come to see the temple and on the grounds. During the day, do something "different" and visit the temple and the complex when the tourists are away - after seven in the evening.