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Curtea domneasc de la TrgoviteValentin Slgeanu

Cea mai veche meniune a reedinei din Trgoviteo gsim la cruciatul bavarez Hans Schiltberger, carea participat n 1396 la btlia de la Nicopole. Elamintete c ara Romneasc avea dou capitale:

Agrich i Turkoich. Este important de menionat nsc redactarea scrierii a avut loc la o dat ulterioar,probabil dup 1427, cnd lunga cltorie ntreprinsde autor n Orient a luat sfrit. Dintr-un act datatn intervalul 1409-1418 aflm c Trgovite erareedina lui Mihail I, fiul i asociatul la domnie a luiMircea cel Btrn, ceea ce ne permite s presupunemc oras,ul devenise capital o dat cu investirea luiMihail I, adic la 1408. Avnd n vedere c relatarealui Schiltberger a fost redactat dup 1427, nclinma crede c situaia pe care el o consemneaz este

de fapt cea surprins n cltoria lui de ntoarcere inu cea din anul 1396. Singurul contra-argument ar fiacela c traseul pe care l-a urmat la napoiere treceaprin Moldova i nu prin principatul valah. Ne esteaadar imposibil s ne pronunm cu certitudine asu-pra datei exacte la care Trgovite a devenit cea dea doua capital a principatului. Putem ns specula,pe baza numrului de acte emise aici n intervalul cu-prins ntre 1418 (dat la care a fost emis primul actdin Trgovite, DRH, B, vol.I, nr. 42) i 1448, c n vre-mea lui Alexandru Aldea, ncepnd cu domnia cruiaemiterea de acte se va face exclusiv din Trgovite,oraul devenise singura capital a rii Romneti.

Prima meniune documentar intern o avemdintr-un privilegiu dat la 1403, nnoit la 1409, carestipuleaz c domnul are ntietate n a-i alege pro-dusele negustoreti de care ar avea nevoie pentrureedina sa din Trgovite. Acest fapt ar indica po-sibilitatea ca reedina domneasc s fi fost edificatde curnd, probabil nc de la sfritul veacului tre-cut, situaie confirmat i de cercetrile arheologiceefectuate aici ntre 1961 i 1986, care surprind dealtfel i urmele unei construcii anterioare de lemn.

La aceast dat (1403) complexul pare s fi cuprinso casa( (C1) (poate o construcie a predecesorilor luiMircea cel Batrn, refcut probabil de ctre Mihail I),un paraclis, foarte probabil o curtin, i o palisad.

1. Vedere a porii de acces.2. Vedere a Turnului Chindiei.

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O a doua mare etap de construcie, surprins ar-

heologic, poate fi plasat aproximativ ctre mijloculsecolului al XV-lea (dup domnia lui Alexandru Aldea,n timpul lui Vlad Dracul, dup cum crede NicolaeConstantinescu, ori n vremea lui Vlad epe, opinieformulat de Tereza Sinigalia). De atunci dateazTurnul Chindiei, ridicat peste pridvorul paraclisului,a doua cas domneasc (C2), o nou curtin, un turncilindric la interior i poligonal la exterior, plasat ncolul nordic al incintei, precum i un mare ant deaprare, cel mai mare de pe teritoriul rii Romneticunoscut, cu o lime de 24m i o adncime de 4m,

ntrit cu pari de lemn btui oblic n mal. n datade 17 noiembrie 1476, aadar n timpul celei de adoua domnii a lui Vlad epe (noiembrie decembrie1476), este menionat un oarecare Cristian prclab,care cere braovenilor doi meteri i ase calfepentru a ridica o casp n Trgovite. Spre sfritulaceluiai secol, n partea sudic a complexului se vaconstrui un zid cu o lungime de aproximativ 20m, ncaptul cruia a fost ridicat un turn. La 11 noiembrie1476, ntr-o scrisoare a lui tefan Bathory, acestase folosete, pentru a desemna Trgovitea, de ter-

menul castel, ceea ce ne face s credem c la aceadat Turnul Chindiei fusese terminat.n partea sud-estic a curii domneti se ridic

biserica domneasc mic, cu hramul Sf. Vineri, printradiie ctitorie a unei neidentificate doamne Sultana.O inscripie de pe faada sudic, din data de 13 Iulie1517, care-i pomenete drept ctitori pe Manea Cluce-ru i pe soia sa Vldaia, ne permite s constatm cla acea dat biserica exista. S-a presupus c aceastaaparine din punct de vedere tipologic secolului al XV-lea, fr a ti ns cu siguran anul edificrii. Iniialaceasta se afla la exteriorul incintei. 3, 4, 5. Diferite vederi ale Turnului Chindiei.

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Importante nsemnri despre aspectul curii domnetin secolul al XVI-lea ne las Francesco della Valledin Padova, care vizitase capitala la 1532, i PierreLescalopier, care n 1574 va trece prin Trgovite.Relatrile lui Jaques Bongars i cele ale lui FrancoSivori surprind o a treia faz constructiv important,anume cea din vremea lui Petru Cercel (iulie 1583 -

aprilie 1585), cnd va fi mrit conacul, se va ridicabiserica domneasc, se va schimba traseul curtinei ise va edifica un turn de acces n incint.

Prima meniune direct a Turnului Chindiei o avemdin 1595, dat la care a fost semnalat un turn ntr-o biseric. n timpul luptelor din 1595, sub scurtaocupaie otoman, se va construi la Trgovite opalanc bastionar care va fi incendiat o dat curetragerea trupelor turceti. Matei Basarab (septem-brie 1632 - aprilie 1654) va reconstrui complexul, vadubla zidul de incint i va ridica o baie turceasc,modificri amintite i de Paul de Alep. Soia lui Con-stantin erban Crnul, Doamna Blaa, va aduga bi-sericii Sf. Vineri pridvorul, ale crui arce, dei ziditecndva n jurul anului 1750 de ctre erban Fusea dincauza degradrii, se mai pot totusi distinge. Aceeaidoamn a ridicat n 1656, conform pisaniei de pe per-etele sudic, un azil lng biserica cu hramul CuvioaseiParaschiva. Iniial casa avea o prisp pe faada denord. Ultimele restaurri au modificat acoperiul igolurile ferestrelor.

6, 7, 8. Diferite vederi ale Turnului Chindiei.9. Vedere a ruinelor paraclisului i a intrrii n Turnul

Chindiei.

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n 1660, Gheorghe Ghica (noiembrie 1659 - septem-brie 1660) distruge curtea domneasc din ordinulPorii. Cernd mai nti acordul aceleiai nalte Pori,Constantin Brncoveanu (octombrie 1688 - martie1724) va reface complexul n cel de al patrulea an aldomniei sale, numindu-l ispravnic al lucrrii pe un-chiul lui, Mihai Cantacuzino. Palatul a fost terminat

n 1695, iar n toamna anului 1699 la culesul viilor a fost isprvit i refacerea bisericii domneti. Dininiiativa aceluiai domn au fost reparate clopotnia iparaclisul, a fost ridicat un grajd, o cas a urlarilor,iar n 1701 se construiete n afara zidurilor o caspentru iazagiu i una pentru doftor. n 1702 i 1714vor vizita capitala arheologul englez Edmond Chishulli respectiv La Motraye, care au lasat o scurt descri-ere a complexului. O dat cu moartea lui ConstantinBrncoveanu curtea a fost prsit.

Biserica domneasc a fost reparat n 1734, dar a

ars n timpul rzboiului turco-austriac din 1736-1739.La un cutremur ulterior s-au surpat turla i pridvorul.Unele refaceri vor fi efectuate i n vremea lui Gri-gore al II-lea Ghica (aprilie 1748 - august 1752) carese vor dovedi ns efemere deoarece n 1785 bolileau czut. La data la care ocupa functia de marevistier, n prima domnie a lui Mihail uu (martie 1791- ianuarie 1793), Enchi Vcrescu l-a convins peacesta s repare biserica domneasc. n urma cu-tremurului din 1803 i a incendiului din acelai an,fosta curte domneasc devine o ruin. La biserica Sf.

Vineri se efectueaz reparaii de ctre mitropolitulDionisie Lupu, care o i transform cu aceast oca-zie n metoh al mnstirii Dealu. n 1850 paharniculNiculaie Brtescu a nlat zidurile acesteia cu unmetru, construind un nou pridvor cu clopotni dinlemn, aceasta din urm fiind desfiinat ulterior. Lajumtatea secolului al XIX-lea a fost restaurat TurnulChindiei, schimbndu-se aspectul original, cel pe carel surprinsese Michel Bouquet la 1840 n cteva deseneale curii domneti. Ctre sfritul aceluiai secol,peste ruinele complexului vor fi ridicate construciinoi, alterndu-se astfel vechile structuri.10, 11, 12, 13. Diverse vederi ale curii domneti.

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14, 15, 16, 17. Diverse vederiale curii domneti.18, 19. Detalii ale beciurilor.

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Dup nfiinarea Comisiunii Monumentelor Istorice n1892 se restaureaz biserica domneasc n intervalul1907-1910, sub coordonarea lui N. Ghica-Budeti,lucrri care nu au inut ns cont de aspectul iniial,modificndu-se turlele, faadele i acoperiul. Ul-timele aciuni de restaurare au avut loc n 1961,din iniiativa Direciei Monumentelor Istorice, dat

dup care singurele aciuni ntreprinse au constat nsondaje arheologice i lucrri de ntreinere i amena-jare a spaiului.

20, 21. Vederi ale casei din vecintatea bisericii Sf. Vineri.22. Pisania de pe peretele aceleiai case.23. Pridvorul bisericii Sf. Vineri.

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24, 25. Vederi ale zidului de incint.26. Vedere panoramic din Turnul Chindiei.

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1. Perspectiv de Michel Bouquet,1840; N. Constantinescu, Cristian Mois-escu, Curtea domneasc din Trgovite,Bucureti, 1965, p. 17;2. Curtea domneasc la 1877, vedereparial; Ibidem, p. 9;3. Turnul Chindiei la 1877; Ibidem, p. 28.

reconstituire de Radu Oltean.

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Bibliografia sitului:Pavel Chihaia, Arta medieval, vol. I, Monumente dincetile de scaun ale rii Romneti, Bucureti, 1998;Gh. I. Cantacuzino, Date arheologice n legtur cucronologia unor construcii ale curii domneti dinTrgovite, BMI, 3, Bucureti, 1969;Gh. I. Cantacuzino, Puncte de vedere privind evoluia

Curii domneti din Trgovite n secolele XIV-XVI, SCIVA,50, 3-4, Bucureti, 1999;Gh. I. Cantacuzino, Ceti medievale din araRomneasc n secolele XIII-XVI, Bucureti, 2001;N. Constantinescu, Contribuii arheologice asupra curiidomneti din Trgovite (sec. XIV-XVII), SCIV, XV, 2,Bucureti, 1964;N. Constantinescu, Cercetrile arheologice de la Curteadomneasc din Trgovite, Documente recent desco-

perite i informaii arheologice, Bucureti, 1987;N. Constantinescu, Corneliu Ionescu, Asupra habitatuluiurban de la Trgovite ante 1394. Repere din vatra Curii

domneti, SCIVA, 31, 1, Bucureti, 1980;N. Constantinescu, Cristian Moisescu, Curtea domneascdin Trgovite, Bucureti, 1965;P. Diaconescu, Cercetri arheologice la Curteadomneasc din Trgovite, Valachica, 15, Trgovite,1997;V. Drghiceanu, Cluza monumentelor din judeulDmbovia, Trgovite, Bucureti, 1907;V. Drghiceanu, tiri mai vechi despre ruinele Curiidomneti din Trgovite, BCMI, VIII, 30, Bucureti, 1915;Mircea B. Ionescu, Trgovite. Schie istorice i topogra-

fice, Oradea, 1929;Grigore Ionescu, Istoria arhitecturii n Romnia,Bucureti, 1963;Cristian Moisescu, Prima curte domneasc de laTrgovite, BMI, XXXIX, 1, Bucureti, 1970;Cristian Moisescu, Trgovite. Monumente istorice i deart, Bucureti, 1979.

Copyright-ul ilustraiilor:

fotografii de Valentin Slgeanu, 2004;vedere panoramic cu copyright necunoscut;fotografii de arhiv cu copyright divers;reconstituire de Radu Oltean;planuri cu copyright necunoscut, oferite de Radu Oltean.

ENGLISH TRANSLATIONtransl. Ana Maria Gruia

The first recorded mention of the residence inTrgovite can be found in the writings of crusader

Hans Schiltberger, who took part in the battle ofNicopolis in 1396, and spoke about the two capitalsof Walachia, Agrich and Turkoich. It is important tomention that he wrote that text later, probably after1427, when he returned from his long journey in theEast. From a document dated between 1409 and1418,one finds out that Mihail I, son and associate ruler ofMircea the Elder, had his residence in Trgovite. Onecan thus hypothesize that the city became a capitalonce Mihail I was invested, in 1408. Taking into con-sideration the fact that Schiltbergers text was writ-ten after 1427, I tend to believe that the state of af-fairs recorded by him was in fact the one he observedon his journey back and not the one from 1396. Thesole counter-argument is that the itinerary he fol-lowed back went through Moldavia and not Walachia.It is therefore impossible to agree upon a certain datewhen Trgovite became the second capital of theprincipality. But based on the number of documentsemitted in the town between 1418 (the date on thefirst document from Trgovite, DRH, B, vol. I, no. 42)and 1448, one can speculate that Trgovite becamethe only capital of Walachia during the reign of Alex-

andru Aldea. Starting with his reign, all documentswere emitted from Trgovite.The first written mention of the town in a docu-

ment emitted inside the principality is a privilegedated 1403 and renewed in 1409, that stipulated theprinces privilege of choosing first among the mer-chants goods, selecting those that he might need forhis residence in Trgovite. This might indicate thatthe princely residence had been recently erected,probably towards the end of the previous century.The hypothesis is confirmed by the archaeological

research of the site during 1961 and 1986, that alsopointed towards the existence of earlier wooden con-structions. It seems that in 1403 the complex includeda house (C1, maybe belonging to the predecessors ofMircea the Elder and probably rebuilt by Mihail I), achapel, most probably a curtain wall, and a palisade.

The second great building campaign documented bythe archaeological excavation can be placed aroundthe middle of the fifteenth century (after the reign ofAlexandru Aldea, during that of Vlad Dracul, accord-ing to Nicolae Constantinescu, or of Vlad the Impaler,according to Tereza Sinigalia).

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It included: the Tower of Chindia, built above thenarthex of the chapel, a second princely house (C2),a new curtain wall, a tower that was cylindrical onthe inside and polygonal on the outside placed in thenorthern corner of the precinct, and a large defensiveditch, the largest known from the territory of Wala-chia, 24 meters wide and 4 meters deep, strengthened

with wooden sticks implanted obliquely in its banks.On November 17, 1476, during the second reign ofVlad the Impaler (November-December 1476), a cer-tain Cristian castellan is mentioned, and his requestfor two masters and six apprentices from Braov, forthe erection of a house in Trgovite. Towards the endof the century, a 20 meter-long wall attached to atower was built in the southern part of the complex.Stephen Bathory, in a letter dated November 11,1476, uses the word castle to refer to Trgovite,and this makes us believe that by that time, the Towerof Chindia had already been constructed.

The small princely church dedicated to St. Fridaywas erected in the south-eastern part of the complex.The tradition preserves the name of the donor, an un-identified lady Sultana. An inscription from the south-ern facade, dated July 13, 1517, mentions Manea Clu-ceru and his wife Vldaia as donors, therefore by thistime the church was already in use. According to thetypology of its architecture, the church belongs to thefifteenth century, but the exact date of the buildingremains unknown. In the beginning, the church waslocated outside the fortified walls.

Important information on the exterior aspect of theprincely court in the sixteenth century can be foundin the writings of Francesco della Valle from Padua,who visited the capital in 1532, and of Pierre Lesca-lopier, who passed through the town in 1547. JacquesBongars and Franco Sivori both wrote about the thirdimportant building phase, during the reign of PetruCercel (July 1583-April 1585). The residence was en-larged, the princely church was built, the surround-ing walls were modified, and an entrance tower waserected over the main entrance in the precinct.

The first direct mention of the Tower of Chindiadates from 1595, when the documents testify to theexistence of a tower in a church. During the fightsof 1595, under the short Ottoman occupation, anearth and wood rampart with bastions was built inTrgovite, but it was burnt down during the retreatof the Turkish troops. Matei Basarab (September1632-April 1654) rebuilt the complex, doubled theprecinct, and erected a Turkish bath, according tothe writings of Paul of Aleppo. Lady Blaa, the wifeof Constantin erban Crnul, had a porch added to

the church of St. Friday.

The arches of this porch can still be seen, althoughthey were built around 1750 by erban Fusea becauseof the degraded state of the building. The same ladyalso paid for the erection of an asylum near thechurch dedicated to St. Parascheva, according to aninscription placed on the southern wall. Initially, thehouse had a porch on the northern facade. The most

recent restoration works have modified the aspect ofthe roof and of the window openings.In 1660, Gheorghe Dica (November 1659-Septem-

ber 1660) destroyed the princely court at the orderof the Ottoman Porte. Having obtained the accep-tance of the Sublime Porte, Constantin Brncoveanu(October 1688-March 1724) rebuilt the complex dur-ing the fourth year of his reign, appointing his uncleMihai Cantacuzino as leader of the works. The palacewas built in 1695, and the princely church was fin-ished in the autumn of 1699, by the time when thevineyards are picked. Through the initiative of thesame prince, the bell tower and the chapel were re-paired, stables were built, a house for the fife players(surlari), and, in 1701, a house for the administra-tor of the ponds (iazagiu) and one for the doctor(doftor), both outside of the fortified precinct. In1702 and 1714, the capital city was visited by the Eng-lish archaeologist Edmond Chishull and by LaMotraye,who both left short descriptions of the complex. Theprincely court was abandoned at the death of Constan-tin Brncoveanu. The princely church was repaired in1734 but it burnt down during the Austrian-Turkish

war of 1736-1739. After a subsequent earthquake,the tower and the porch fell to the ground. Somerepairs were conducted during the reign of GrigoreII Ghica (April 1748-August 1752), but they proved tobe temporary, since in 1785 the vaults also crumbled.Enachi Vcrescu, while great treasurer during thefirst reign of Mihai uu (March 1791-January 1793),managed to convince the prince to have the princelychurch in Trgovite repaired. After the earthquakeof 1803 the court remained in ruins. The church of St.Friday benefited from some restoration works at the

initiative of the metropolitan bishop Dionisie Lupu,who also transferred it under the authority of Dealumonastery. In 1850, cupbearer Niculaie Brtescu hadthe walls of the church raised by one meter and hada new porch built, provided with a wooden towerthat was later on demolished. In the middle of thenineteenth century, the Chindia Tower was restoredand its original aspect, recorded by Michel Bouquetin 1840 in several drawings of the princely court, wasaltered. Towards the end of the same century, newbuildings were erected over the ruins of the complex,

altering the ancient structures.

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After the establishment of the Commission for His-torical Monuments, in 1892, the princely court wasrestored during 1907-1910. The works were coordi-nated by N. Ghica-Budeti, but they did not take intoaccount the original aspect of the complex, and thetowers, the facades, and the roof were modified. Thelast restoration works date back to 1961, at the initia-

tive of the Historical Monuments Department. Afterthat, the only activities performed on the site includ-ed archaeological testing and maintenance works.