Stavropoleos Monastery

Look at the porch: stone columns covered in carved foliage, lobed arches and, above them, frescoes of saints in reds and blues. This is the finest example of the Brâncovenesc style in Bucharest, and one of the most beautiful churches in Romania.

1A Greek monk and his inn

It was founded in 1724 by Ioanichie Stratonikeas, a Greek monk from Epirus, during the reign of Nicolae Mavrocordat, the first Phanariot prince of Wallachia. He built it in the courtyard of his own inn, whose income supported the monastery. In 1726 Ioanichie was named Metropolitan of Stavropoleos, an ancient see in Asia Minor whose name means «city of the cross» in Greek, and the monastery took that name. He died in 1742 and is buried in his church.

2What was saved

At the end of the 19th century the inn and the monastery buildings were demolished; only the church survived. In the early 20th century a new building was put up next to it to plans by the architect Ion Mincu. Today it houses a library, icons and fragments of frescoes rescued from churches demolished under communism. The courtyard gathers gravestones and stone crosses from different periods. Since 2008 a community of nuns has lived here, known for its Byzantine chant.

The lanes around the Old Court are the setting for the bohemian, decadent nights that Mateiu Caragiale portrayed in his 1929 novel Craii de Curtea-Veche.

3What to look for

• The porch columns, carved like lace.
• The outer frescoes under the eaves.
• The gravestones in the courtyard, if the gate is open; if not, you can glimpse them from outside.