Curtea de Argeș Cathedral

Curtea de Argeș Cathedral tickets: which one to buy

The Cathedral of Curtea de Argeș stands in the town of Curtea de Argeș, in southern Romania, about three hours north-west of Bucharest, at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains, and a small admission fee is charged. It is one of the most famous and beautiful churches in Romania, and the burial place of the Romanian kings.

Visitors often combine it with the Transfăgărășan road, one of the most spectacular mountain roads in the world, which starts north of the town and crosses the Făgăraș Mountains, and with Poenari Castle, the real fortress of Vlad the Impaler, reached by 1,480 steps. The town also has the Princely Court ruins and the Church of Saint Nicholas. The cathedral is active, and visitors should dress modestly. Photography inside is not allowed. The cathedral is about ten minutes' walk from the Curtea de Argeș railway station.

Visiting Curtea de Argeș Cathedral: what to see

The cathedral was built between 1512 and 1517 by Prince Neagoe Basarab, ruler of Wallachia, as the church of a monastery, and it is known for its extraordinary exterior decoration, carved in white stone with geometric and floral patterns, in a style combining Byzantine and Islamic influences, with twisted towers. According to the legend of Master Manole, the builder, whose walls kept collapsing at night, walled his own wife alive inside the church to make it stand, and he then fell from the roof and died, and a spring appeared where he fell, the Fountain of Manole, which can still be seen nearby. The cathedral was restored in the nineteenth century by the French architect André Lecomte du Noüy. Inside, it holds the tombs of the founder and of the Romanian kings Carol I, Ferdinand I and Carol II, and queens Elisabeth and Marie.

Next to the cathedral, a new royal necropolis has been built. The cathedral's exterior carvings include rosettes, garlands and medallions, and the stone is decorated with gold. The towers are twisted in spirals, an unusual feature. The entrance porch is supported by columns. Inside, the frescoes were repainted during the nineteenth-century restoration, and some original fragments survive. The tombs of the Romanian royal family lie in white marble. The Princely Court, in the town centre, holds the ruins of a medieval palace and the Church of Saint Nicholas, with fourteenth-century frescoes. The episcopal palace, beside the cathedral, was built in the nineteenth century. The park around the cathedral is peaceful.

Curtea de Argeș Cathedral opening hours and the best time to go

The cathedral is open daily. The Transfăgărășan road is usually open only from July to October, because of snow, so summer and early autumn are the best times to combine the cathedral with a drive on the road. Spring and autumn are pleasant, and winter is cold. The feast of Saint Filofteia, whose relics are kept in the cathedral, on 7 December brings pilgrims. Allow about half an hour for the cathedral and the Fountain of Manole, and continue to Poenari Castle and the Transfăgărășan. Poenari Castle, about half an hour's drive north on the Transfăgărășan, requires a climb of 1,480 steps but offers spectacular views.