Mogoșoaia Palace (, ) is situated about from

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

. It was built between 1698 and 1702 by

Constantin Brâncoveanu Constantin Brâncoveanu (; 1654 – August 15, 1714) was List of Wallachian rulers, Prince of Wallachia between 1688 and 1714. Biography Ascension Constantin Brâncoveanu was the son of Pope Brâncoveanu (Matthew) and his wife, Stanca Can ...

in what is called the Romanian Renaissance style or Brâncovenesc style. The palace bears the name of the widow of the Romanian

boyar A boyar or bolyar was a member of the highest rank of the feudal nobility in many Eastern European states, including Bulgaria, Kievan Rus' (and later Russia), Moldavia and Wallachia (and later Romania), Lithuania and among Baltic Germans. C ...

Mogoș, who owned the land it was built on.

History

After 1714, when

was executed with his entire family in

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

, all the family's wealth was confiscated by the Ottomans and the palace was converted into an inn. Rebought by Prince Ștefan Cantacuzino, he returned it to Brâncoveanu's grandson Constantin, and remained with the family until the early nineteenth century. The palace was devastated by the

Ottomans Ottoman may refer to: * Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire * Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II" * Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...

during the

Russo-Turkish War The Russo-Turkish wars ( ), or the Russo-Ottoman wars (), began in 1568 and continued intermittently until 1918. They consisted of twelve conflicts in total, making them one of the longest series of wars in the history of Europe. All but four of ...

of 1768–1774. It was later granted by prince Grigore to his daughter, Zoe Mavrocordat, who had married George D. Bibescu, sovereign Prince of

Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ; : , : ) is a historical and geographical region of modern-day Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians. Wallachia was traditionally divided into two sections, Munteni ...

. The palace remained within Bibescu family and was renovated by Nicolae Bibescu. In November 1916, during the

Romanian Campaign The Kingdom of Romania was neutral for the first two years of World War I, entering on the side of the Allied powers from 27 August 1916 until Central Power occupation led to the Treaty of Bucharest in May 1918, before reentering the war on 10 ...

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the palace at Mogoșoaia was bombed by the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

air forces. Bought from Marie-Nicole by her cousin (and head of the princely house), Prince George Bibesco, the palace was given to his wife, Princess Martha. He later deeded the land to her, too. Martha spent her private fortune for the reconstruction. In the late 1920s and the 1930s, the palace became the meeting place for politicians and for the international high society. When Prince George died in 1941, he was buried in the small, white 1688 church on the grounds of the palace. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Prince

Antoine Bibesco Prince Antoine Bibesco (; July 19, 1878 – September 2, 1951) was a Romanian aristocrat, lawyer, diplomat, and writer. Biography He was born as the son of Prince Alexandre Bibesco, the last surviving son of the ''Duke'' of Wallachia and ...

(a cousin of George Bibesco) and his wife

Elizabeth Bibesco Elizabeth, Princess Bibesco (born Elizabeth Charlotte Lucy Asquith; 26 February 1897 – 7 April 1945) was an English socialite, actress and writer between 1921 and 1940. She was the daughter of H. H. Asquith, the British Prime Minister, and th ...

refused to flee the country. When Elizabeth died of pneumonia on April 7, 1945, she was buried in the Bibesco family vault on the grounds of Mogoșoaia. Neither Elizabeth Bibesco's husband, Antoine, nor George Bibesco's wife, Martha, could be buried beside them, as they both died during the

Communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

regime. After 1945, the palace was forcibly nationalized by the communist authorities, and the owners, Valentina and Dimitrie Ghika-Comănești, were arrested. Some of its precious art collections disappeared during this period. In 1957, it eventually became a museum. The palace is now a popular tourist destination, but although the grounds and gardens are beautiful, the interior of the palace itself is under reconstruction and presently houses a museum and art gallery (''Muzeul de Artă Brâncovenească''). The exterior and tunnels of the complex were featured in 2018 film ''The Nun''.

Gallery

File:Mogosoaia Palace, view from the garden.JPG File:Palatul Mogosoaia.jpg, View of the entrance File:RO IF Mogosoaia Palace watchtower 1.jpg File:Parcul şi grădina Palatului Mogoşoaia 1.JPG File:RO IF Mogosoaia Palace Guest House.jpg, Mogoșoaia Guest House File:Bucuresti, Romania. PALATUL BRANCOVENESC de la MOGOSOAIA. (Biserica Sfantul Gheorghe - tricolor)(IF-II-a-A-15298).jpg, Mogoșoaia church File:Palatul Mogoșoaia (5).jpg File:RO IF Mogosoaia Palace Bibescu family tomb.jpg File:RO IF Mogosoaia palace Mihai and George Bibescu tombs.jpg File:Mogosoaia_at_Mini_Europe.jpg, Miniature of Mogosoaia palace at

Mini-Europe Mini-Europe is a miniature park located in the Bruparck entertainment park, at the foot of the Atomium, in Brussels, Belgium. Mini-Europe has reproductions of monuments in the European Union and other countries within the continent of Europe on ...

References

External links

* Mogoșoaia Palace Artifacts: {{DEFAULTSORT:Mogosoaia Palace Museums in Ilfov County Historic monuments in Ilfov County Palaces in Romania Art museums and galleries in Romania 1702 establishments in the Ottoman Empire Brâncovenesc style architecture