Royal Court - Targoviste, Muntenia

Royal Court - Targoviste - details and images

Royal Court grouped monuments from the XV-XVIII. The first royal house, surrounded by a stone enclosure wall, turrets and towers, dates from the reign of Mircea the Old, as Vlad Tepes (1456-1462) acquired the Royal Court including new construction and Chindia Tower.

After the reign of Radu the Intestine during Petru Cercel held extensive building works old and add a new palace, surrounded by gardens, with fountains supplied with water brought by pipe near Targoviste pine.
Reconstruction works take place during the reign of Constantin Brancoveanu, which lasted seven years. The two royal houses were converted into a palace Brancoveanu style.

In 1737, during fighting in the Turkish-Austrian Royal Court is burned. Only Royal Church has been repaired.
Chindia Tower, in the shape of today is the result of restoration carried out in the years 1847-1851.
In the years 1907-1910, N. Ghica-Budesti, restored the royal church, then to extricate the old cellars of houses, church chapel, the royal bath.
Representative of Romanian art and architecture, monuments to the Royal Court include innovative features and solutions that have strongly influenced the era. Museum organizers have tried to make an organic connection between the monuments and exhibition activities.

Museum Complex "The Royal Court" includes monuments of medieval architecture that forms the entire royal court, some of which host exhibitions:
- The Tower Chindia: Dracula. Legend and historical truth
- The royal church: Brancoveanu art collection
- In the cellars of the royal house dating from sixteenth century - History of the Royal Court, briefly.
- The church of St. Friday - Collection of icons.

Of all these buildings that make up the whole princely Chindia Tower stands. The main role of the building was a military, defense, while serving as security and observation tower, prison and place to store treasures. Material that was raised is brick red. The form of the tower is cylindrical, with the truncated pyramid-shaped, covered with stone. His height exceeds 27 meters, with a diameter of 9 meters. Construction of the chapel was erected over the porch to date since the time of Mircea the Old. Access to the upper platform is climbing 122 steps. The building is equipped with a door that communicates directly with the royal house by means of a movable bridges

Great Royal Church
Founded by Peter Earring type of plan is within a Greek cross (as the church of Curtea de Arges and Targoviste Metropolitan) which served as a model.
The porch is bordered on three sides by 12 pillars of masonry.
Pronaos shows a small semi-cylindrical vault, disposed centrally on the shaft entrance, and one each side, the two small towers. This compartment housed the family graves Basarab, Balasa (wife of Constantin Serban).
Nave, square, is covered with four domes in a swing, resting on four pillars of masonry willing symmetrical arches supporting the tower higher. Equal spaces located between the cross arms are marked by poles covered with domes.
Apse and the altar is flanked by the other 2 roomy smaller semicircular arches covered.
On the western side of the nave is a balcony supported by two pillars and vault downloaded on a stone columns.
To the left of the entrance stands princely portraits:
- Neagoe Basarab, Matei Basarab
- In the west narthex: Petru Cercel Constantin Brancoveanu
- Right of entry: Michael the Brave, Radu Serban, Constantin Serban, Serban Cantacuzino and Radu Mihnea.
Among the pieces of great artistic value, which furnishes the church iconostasis stands bracovenesc made in wood, carved and gilded with gold, register with the royal coat of arms above the door of the Romanian Country, and the upper rod, achieving year studded with Cyrillic and Arabic numerals: 1693.

Saint Friday Church or Church Little Royal "dedicated to St. Paraskeva, is situated within the Monumental Complex" Royal Court "of Targoviste in the south-east of the royal court, on the highest terrace of Ialomita.
Built by Vlad the Monk and his wife Smaranda, the church of Saint Friday "is the only monument known so far in the Land of Romanian architecture dating from the mid fifteenth century (1571), in primary forms preserved until today.
Three-cusped plan has elongated, composed of the porch, pronaus, nave and altar.
The tower rests on four semicircular arches. The narthex is preceded by an open porch to the west, marked by three storied arches belonging to early period of the chamber, which is organically connected.
The facades are decorated with niches, outlined at the top of elements made from ceramics in the form of small discs leg.
The central niche of the apse of the altar, which is somewhat broader than the others, seems an unprecedented special decor to other monuments.
The originality of this monument is completed and the construction technique and material used.
It ought to remember that the church narthex "Holy Friday" holds many tombs of historical figures, including that of Mrs. Balas, wife of Prince Constantin Serban, whose gravestone is beautifully decorated with vegetal elements, heads of angels and Romanian coat of arms.
Over the years, church monument received a number of restorations carried out during 1731-1732 by Serban Fuse, a builder known Targoviste 1803 by Dionysius Lupu - then abbot of the monastery Dealu for 1850-1852 aa the butler and the last restoration work was undertaken in 1967 by the Department of Historical Monuments, which unfortunately have not been finalized.
Interventions were done on the church roof in 2004, from funds Museum Complex "Royal Court".

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