Căldărușani Monastery (

Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditional ...

: ''Mănăstirea Căldărușani'') is a

Romanian Orthodox The Romanian Orthodox Church (ROC; , ), or Romanian Patriarchate, is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church in full communion with other Eastern Orthodox Christian churches, and one of the nine patriarchates in the Eastern Orthodox Church. S ...

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

located in the town of

Gruiu Gruiu is a commune in the northeastern part of Ilfov County, Muntenia, Romania. Its name in the Romanian language means "small hill". It is composed of four villages: Gruiu, Lipia, Siliștea Snagovului and Șanțu-Florești. The commune is situat ...

Ilfov County Ilfov () is the Counties of Romania, county that surrounds Bucharest, the capital of Romania. It used to be largely rural, but, after the fall of communism, many of the county's villages and communes developed into high-income commuter towns, whi ...

, Romania, by the Căldărușani Lake. The monastery complex is listed as a

historic monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical ...

and includes several significant buildings and a rich collection of Romanian art.

History

Established in 1638 by

Matei Basarab Matei Basarab (; 1588, Brâncoveni, Olt – 9 April 1654, Bucharest) was the voivode (prince) of Wallachia from 1632 to 1654. Reign Much of Matei's reign was spent fighting off incursions from Moldavia, which he successfully accomplished in 1 ...

, a prominent

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 ...

n ruler, Căldărușani Monastery has been a significant center for Orthodox spirituality and

Romanian culture The culture of Romania is an umbrella term used to encapsulate the ideas, customs and social behaviours of the people of Romania that developed due to the country's distinct geopolitical history and evolution. It is theorized that Romanians an ...

. The monastery was built on the site of an older wooden skete, evidencing monastic activity at this location prior to its official founding. It became known for its

scriptorium A scriptorium () was a writing room in medieval European monasteries for the copying and illuminating of manuscripts by scribes. The term has perhaps been over-used—only some monasteries had special rooms set aside for scribes. Often they ...

and played a pivotal role in the development of the Romanian literary language. The main church, dedicated to

Saint Demetrius Saint Demetrius (or Demetrios) of Thessalonica (, ), also known as the Holy Great-Martyr Demetrius the Myroblyte (meaning 'the Myrrh-Gusher' or 'Myrrh-Streamer'; 3rd century – 306), was a Greek Christian martyr of the early 4th century AD. D ...

, features architecture reminiscent of the great ecclesiastical buildings of the era, such as

Curtea de Argeș Cathedral The Cathedral of Curtea de Argeș (early 16th century) is a Romanian Orthodox Church, 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 M ...

. Notable for its educational and cultural contributions, the monastery housed a printing press and was a center for religious art, attracting figures such as the famous Romanian painter

Nicolae Grigorescu Nicolae Grigorescu (; 15 May 1838 – 21 July 1907) was one of the founders of modern Romanian painting. He is considered by Romanians the greatest Romanian painter, and one of the founders of modern Romanian art. He is most known for paintin ...

Architecture

The architectural style of the monastery is predominantly Neoclassical, with elements that reflect the traditional Orthodox ecclesiastical design. The complex includes several buildings, notably the main church dedicated to Saint Demetrius, and smaller churches dedicated to other saints, surrounded by lush greenery and situated beside a serene lake.

Art and Culture

The monastery's art collection, initiated by Metropolitan Ghenadie Petrescu, includes works by Nicolae Grigorescu and other Romanian artists. It serves as a cultural repository reflecting the rich spiritual and artistic traditions of the

Romanian Orthodox Church The Romanian Orthodox Church (ROC; , ), or Romanian Patriarchate, is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church in full communion with other Eastern Orthodox Christian denomination, Christian churches, and one of the nine patriarchates in the East ...

Gallery

File:Mănăstirea Căldărușani.jpg, Căldărușani Monastery File:RO IF Caldarusani monastery landscape.jpg, The monastery viewed from the southeast over the lake. File:Manastire Caldarusani.jpg, The monastery in winter 2011.

References

External links

Official website of Căldărușani Monastery

{{DEFAULTSORT:Căldărușani, Monastery Romanian Orthodox monasteries of Wallachia Historic monuments in Ilfov County 17th-century churches Buildings and structures in Ilfov County 17th-century Romanian Orthodox monasteries 1638 establishments in Europe 17th-century establishments in Romania