Curtea de Argeș () is a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
in
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
on the left bank of the river
Argeș, where it flows through a valley of the
Southern Carpathians
The Southern Carpathians (also known as the Transylvanian Alps; ro, Carpații Meridionali ; hu, Déli-Kárpátok) are a group of mountain ranges located in southern Romania. They cover the part of the Carpathian Mountains located between the Pr ...
(the
Făgăraș Mountains
The Făgăraș Mountains ( ro, Munții Făgărașului ; hu, Fogarasi-havasok) are the highest mountains of the Southern Carpathians, in Romania.
Geography
The mountain range is situated in the heart of Romania, at .
The range is bordered in th ...
), on the railway from
Pitești to the
Turnu Roșu Pass. It is part of
Argeș County. The city also administers one village, Noapteș.
On July 7, 1947, the total rainfall in Curtea de Argeș was in 20 minutes, which is a world record.
Etymology and names
The present name, literally ''The Court upon (river) Argeș'', refers to the former status of the town as the capital of Wallachia. Some historians identify the
Argeș River
Arges or Argeș may refer to:
Places and jurisdictions Romania
* Argeș County, a county in Muntenia, with its capital at Pitești
* Argeș Region, an administrative division from 1950 to 1952
* Argeș River, which flows through the Southern ...
with ancient "
Ordessos", however the name is unlikely to be derived from this name.
The oldest Slavonic documents use an "Arghiș" form, which might suggest a
Cuman or
Pecheneg
The Pechenegs () or Patzinaks tr, Peçenek(ler), Middle Turkic: , ro, Pecenegi, russian: Печенег(и), uk, Печеніг(и), hu, Besenyő(k), gr, Πατζινάκοι, Πετσενέγοι, Πατζινακίται, ka, პაჭ ...
etymology, from the root ''arghiš'' ("higher ground", "heights").
The original name was Argeș, which was then used for the name of the river as well.
History
Capital of Wallachia
One of the oldest towns in
Wallachia
Wallachia or Walachia (; ro, Țara Românească, lit=The Romanian Land' or 'The Romanian Country, ; archaic: ', Romanian Cyrillic alphabet: ) is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and s ...
, Curtea de Argeș was the capital of a small local state which was the
start for the unification of the lands south of the Carpathians.
[Rădvan, p.243] The oldest archeological evidence of it being the seat of such a ruler date from the 13th century.
Câmpulung was the seat of
Basarab I
Basarab I (), also known as Basarab the Founder ( ro, Basarab Întemeietorul; c. 1270 – 1351/1352), was a ''voivode'' and later the first independent ruler of Wallachia who lived in the first half of the . Many details of his life are uncerta ...
, the
voivode of Wallachia
This is a list of rulers of Wallachia, from the first mention of a medieval polity situated between the Southern Carpathians and the Danube until the union with Moldavia in 1859, which led to the creation of Romania.
Notes
Dynastic rule is hard ...
, who was first mentioned in a document written in 1324 at the court of
Charles I of Hungary
Charles I, also known as Charles Robert ( hu, Károly Róbert; hr, Karlo Robert; sk, Karol Róbert; 128816 July 1342) was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1308 to his death. He was a member of the Capetian House of Anjou and the only son of ...
. The next year, a conflict broke out between the two and in 1330, Charles I organized an
expedition against the "unfaithful" Basarab and destroyed the Argeș stronghold.
[Rădvan, p.244.]
The tradition of Wallachian chronicles differ from the Hungarian documents: they don't mention Basarab I and instead, they claim that Argeș was founded in 1290 by
Radu Negru who crossed the Carpathians from
Transylvania
Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...
to found the cities of Curtea de Argeș and Câmpulung.
While
Câmpulung is sometimes credited as the first capital of Wallachia, the Wallachian chronicles mention only Curtea de Argeș as being the capital, this being supported by the fact that the Hungarian documents mention that Charles I attacked the Argeș stronghold and not the Câmpulung one.
After 1340, a new royal court was built at Argeș, containing a palace and a church, the whole compound having an area of 0.76 hectares.
It was here that the
Metropolitan Orthodox Church of Wallachia was founded in 1359.
The town traded with
Transylvania
Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...
, focusing on the town of
Sibiu, to which it had a direct road crossing the
Olt Valley and . The commercial area of the town was around the court and the ''St. Nicholas in Târg'' Church, where the ''
bazar
Bazar may refer to:
* Bazar, Afghanistan
* Bazar, Azerbaijan
* Bazar, Mardan, Pakistan
* Bazar, Ukraine
In Iran
* Bazar, East Azerbaijan
* Bazar, Gilan
* Bazareh-ye Qarnas, North Khorasan Province
* Bazargah, Qazvin, Qazvin Province
* Bazar, Sou ...
'' was located.
[Rădvan, p.247.]
Decline
This Argeș court was the residence of the Wallachian
hospodar
Hospodar or gospodar is a term of Slavonic origin, meaning "lord" or " master".
Etymology and Slavic usage
In the Slavonic language, ''hospodar'' is usually applied to the master/owner of a house or other properties and also the head of a family. ...
s until
Mircea I of Wallachia
Mircea the Elder ( ro, Mircea cel Bătrân, ; c. 1355 – 31 January 1418) was the Voivode of Wallachia from 1386 until his death in 1418. He was the son of Radu I of Wallachia and brother of Dan I of Wallachia, after whose death he inherited ...
, included.
The following rulers used both Argeș and Târgoviște as the seats of the court and traveler
Johann Schiltberger mentioned that in 1396 both cities were capitals.
From 1396 to 1460, Wallachia was tributary to the Sunni-Islamic
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
, the hospodars being vassals of its Great Sultan.
During the 15th century, their court was used alternately with the one in
Târgoviște, but in the 16th century, the capital was completely moved to Târgoviște and the Argeș court was rarely visited.
Argeș was one of the most important towns in Wallachia in the 14th and 15th centuries, but starting with the 16th century, its importance began to fade. The Orthodox Metropolitan's seat was moved to Târgoviște in 1517, while the Catholic bishopric ended its activity in 1519. A fall in the trade with
Sibiu and
Brașov
Brașov (, , ; german: Kronstadt; hu, Brassó; la, Corona; Transylvanian Saxon: ''Kruhnen'') is a city in Transylvania, Romania and the administrative centre of Brașov County.
According to the latest Romanian census (2011), Brașov has a pop ...
also led to a population decline.
[Rădvan, p.247-248]
After the
Curtea de Argeș Monastery was built during the rule of
Neagoe Basarab, the rulers of Wallachia favored it and, apart from donations (part of the town's domain), they gave it rights over the town. The monastery presided over trials in the marketplace and it was allowed to build
customs house
A custom house or customs house was traditionally a building housing the offices for a jurisdictional government whose officials oversaw the functions associated with importing and exporting goods into and out of a country, such as collecting ...
and mills. This eroded the autonomy of the town and led to further economic slump.
Modern era
The united country's first modern king,
Carol I of Romania
Carol I or Charles I of Romania (20 April 1839 – ), born Prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, was the monarch of Romania from 1866 to his death in 1914, ruling as Prince (''Domnitor'') from 1866 to 1881, and as King from 1881 to 1914. He w ...
renovated the Curtea de Argeș Monastery and designated it as a royal necropolis in 1886. Curtea de Argeș became the burial place for the
Royal House of Romania (a branch of the
Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen dynasty), including Carol I,
Ferdinand I and
Queen Marie, and
Michael I Michael I may refer to:
* Pope Michael I of Alexandria, Coptic Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark in 743–767
* Michael I Rhangabes, Byzantine Emperor (died in 844)
* Michael I Cerularius, Patriarch Michael I of Constantin ...
and
Queen Anne. King Carol I also built a railway linking Curtea de Argeș to
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
; the city's railway station, designed by architect and constructed by engineer
Elie Radu in 1898, stands out as one of the distinctive architectural masterpieces of the city.
The Ștefănescu-Goangă brothers, Mihail and Florian, contributed to modernizing the city's infrastructure during 1920s and 1930s. As a mayor,
Mihail Ștefănesu Goangă oversaw the building of the city's first paved roads, post office, and central market.
Florian Ștefănescu-Goangă founded the summer school of the
Babeș-Bolyai University
The Babeș-Bolyai University ( ro, Universitatea Babeș-Bolyai , hu, Babeș-Bolyai Tudományegyetem, commonly known as UBB) is a public research university located in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. UBB has a long academic tradition, started by Universitas ...
in Curtea de Argeș, which later became the , one of the most prestigious high schools in Romania.
During the
Communist regime
A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state that is administered and governed by a communist party guided by Marxism–Leninism. Marxism–Leninism was the state ideology of the Soviet Union, the Cominte ...
, state-led industrialization led to the construction of several major factories in the city, which became a major producer of agricultural proteins, porcelain, and textiles. During the 1990s, most of the communist-era industries closed down, but Curtea de Argeș remains a manufacturing center for textiles and high-end fashion.
Ecclesiastical History
Latin Bishopric of Argeș
In the first decades of the 14th century, a group of German Catholics from
Saxony
Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...
were brought under the authority of the Catholic bishop of (Hungarian)
Transylvania
Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...
and they were settled in the city. In 1381, the Latin Diocese of Argeș was founded as then-only Catholic bishopric in Wallachia,
suffragan of the Hungarian Metropolitan
Archdiocese of Kalocsa
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...
. No incumbent names are available.
It was suppressed in 1519/20 (just after the Orthodox Metropolis), its territory being used in 1590 to establish the
Diocese of Bacău
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...
.
In the 17th century the bishopric moved to
Bacău
Bacău ( , , ; hu, Bákó; la, Bacovia) is the main city in Bacău County, Romania. At the 2016 national estimation it had a population of 196,883, making it the 12th largest city in Romania. The city is situated in the historical region of ...
due to the decrease in the number of local Catholics.
[Rădvan, p.245]
Orthodox Archbishopric of Argeș
A Greek Orthodox archbishopric of Argeș was established in 1396, under authority of the
Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople
The ecumenical patriarch ( el, Οἰκουμενικός Πατριάρχης, translit=Oikoumenikós Patriárchēs) is the archbishop of Constantinople ( Istanbul), New Rome and '' primus inter pares'' (first among equals) among the heads of ...
by
Callistus I, but disputed by the
Bulgarian Patriarchate of Ochrid.
[Westermann, Grosser Atlas zur Weltgeschichte, p. 89.]
The Orthodox Metropolitan's seat was moved to
Târgoviște in 1517, just before the Catholic bishopric ended its activity.
[Rădvan, p.247-248]
However, at the close of the 18th century, it again became the seat of the modern
Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of Argeș and Muscel, under the
Metropolis of Wallachia and Dobrudja.
Landmark churches
The city is the site of couple medieval churches (among them the
Curtea de Argeș Cathedral
The Cathedral of Curtea de Argeș (early 16th century) is a Romanian Orthodox cathedral in Curtea de Argeș, Romania. It is located on the grounds of the Curtea de Argeș Monastery, and is dedicated to Dormition of the Mother of God. The buildin ...
) having been an Orthodox
bishopric
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...
again since the close of the 18th century.
The most important church is the
Princely Church of Saint Nicholas built by
Basarab I
Basarab I (), also known as Basarab the Founder ( ro, Basarab Întemeietorul; c. 1270 – 1351/1352), was a ''voivode'' and later the first independent ruler of Wallachia who lived in the first half of the . Many details of his life are uncerta ...
, completely renovated in 2003–2004. It resembles a stone fortress, connected through
catacombs to a guard tower on a nearby hill. Ruins of the Prince's Palace Complex are still visible. It is mentioned in
Alexandru Odobescu's ''Doamna Chiajna''.
One of the most enduring and famous Romanian legends, the legend of
Meșterul Manole, is related to the monastery's construction.
Curtea de Argeș, Mănăstirea Argeș, Biserica Episcopală
Retrieved 22 March 2009.
Natives
* Nicolae Pleșiță, head of the Securitate
The Securitate (, Romanian for ''security'') was the popular term for the Departamentul Securității Statului (Department of State Security), the secret police agency of the Socialist Republic of Romania. Previously, before the communist regime ...
Foreign Intelligence Service
* Florian Ștefănescu-Goangă, psychologist, founder of the Romanian Institute of Experimental Psychology, and President of Babeș-Bolyai University
* Petre Ștefănescu-Goangă, baritone and actor
* Bogdan Suceavă, mathematician and writer
* Urmuz, avant-garde short-story writer
Gallery
File:Curtea de Arges.E.jpg, St. Nicholas Princely Church
File:Catedrala Curtea de Arges.jpg, Curtea de Argeș Cathedral in an 1880 engraving
File:BisericaEpiscopalaCurteaDeArges (17).JPG, Cathedral
File:Biserica Adormirea Maicii Domnului - Olari din Curtea de Arges (56).JPG, Olari Church
File:Casa_Goang%C4%83,_Curtea_de_Arge%C8%99.jpg, Goangă House
File:Casa Cioculestilor - Curtea de Arges (3).JPG, Cioculeștilor House
File:Fostul Hotel Royal - Curtea de Arges (4).JPG, Former Hotel Royal
File:CurteaDeArçes.JPG, Train station
See also
* Wallachia
Wallachia or Walachia (; ro, Țara Românească, lit=The Romanian Land' or 'The Romanian Country, ; archaic: ', Romanian Cyrillic alphabet: ) is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and s ...
* Basarab I of Wallachia
Basarab I (), also known as Basarab the Founder ( ro, Basarab Întemeietorul; c. 1270 – 1351/1352), was a ''voivode'' and later the first independent ruler of Wallachia who lived in the first half of the . Many details of his life are uncerta ...
* Curtea de Argeș Cathedral
The Cathedral of Curtea de Argeș (early 16th century) is a Romanian Orthodox cathedral in Curtea de Argeș, Romania. It is located on the grounds of the Curtea de Argeș Monastery, and is dedicated to Dormition of the Mother of God. The buildin ...
Notes
Sources, external links and further reading
GCatholic - Latin bishopric
* Laurențiu Rădvan, ''At Europe's Borders: Medieval Towns in the Romanian Principalities'', Brill, 2010,
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Curtea de Arges
Populated places in Argeș County
Localities in Muntenia
Cities in Romania
Market towns in Wallachia
Former capitals of Romania