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Curtea domneasc de la Trgovite

Valentin Slgeanu Cea mai veche meniune a reedinei din Trgovite o gsim la cruciatul bavarez Hans Schiltberger, care a participat n 1396 la btlia de la Nicopole. El amintete c ara Romneasc avea dou capitale: Agrich i Turkoich. Este important de menionat ns c redactarea scrierii a avut loc la o dat ulterioar, probabil dup 1427, cnd lunga cltorie ntreprins de autor n Orient a luat sfrit. Dintr-un act datat n intervalul 1409-1418 am c Trgovite era reedina lui Mihail I, ul i asociatul la domnie a lui Mircea cel Btrn, ceea ce ne permite s presupunem c oras,ul devenise capital o dat cu investirea lui Mihail I, adic la 1408. Avnd n vedere c relatarea lui Schiltberger a fost redactat dup 1427, nclinm a crede c situaia pe care el o consemneaz este de fapt cea surprins n cltoria lui de ntoarcere i nu cea din anul 1396. Singurul contra-argument ar acela c traseul pe care l-a urmat la napoiere trecea prin Moldova i nu prin principatul valah. Ne este aadar imposibil s ne pronunm cu certitudine asupra datei exacte la care Trgovite a devenit cea de a doua capital a principatului. Putem ns specula, pe baza numrului de acte emise aici n intervalul cuprins ntre 1418 (dat la care a fost emis primul act din Trgovite, DRH, B, vol.I, nr. 42) i 1448, c n vremea lui Alexandru Aldea, ncepnd cu domnia cruia emiterea de acte se va face exclusiv din Trgovite, oraul devenise singura capital a rii Romneti. Prima meniune documentar intern o avem dintr-un privilegiu dat la 1403, nnoit la 1409, care stipuleaz c domnul are ntietate n a-i alege produsele negustoreti de care ar avea nevoie pentru reedina sa din Trgovite. Acest fapt ar indica posibilitatea ca reedina domneasc s fost edicat de curnd, probabil nc de la sfritul veacului trecut, situaie conrmat i de cercetrile arheologice efectuate aici ntre 1961 i 1986, care surprind de altfel i urmele unei construcii anterioare de lemn. La aceast dat (1403) complexul pare s cuprins o casa( (C1) (poate o construcie a predecesorilor lui Mircea 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 arheologic, poate plasat aproximativ ctre mijlocul secolului al XV-lea (dup domnia lui Alexandru Aldea, n timpul lui Vlad Dracul, dup cum crede Nicolae Constantinescu, ori n vremea lui Vlad epe, opinie formulat de Tereza Sinigalia). De atunci dateaz Turnul Chindiei, ridicat peste pridvorul paraclisului, a doua cas domneasc (C2), o nou curtin, un turn cilindric la interior i poligonal la exterior, plasat n colul nordic al incintei, precum i un mare ant de aprare, cel mai mare de pe teritoriul rii Romneti cunoscut, cu o lime de 24m i o adncime de 4m, ntrit cu pari de lemn btui oblic n mal. n data de 17 noiembrie 1476, aadar n timpul celei de a doua domnii a lui Vlad epe (noiembrie decembrie 1476), este menionat un oarecare Cristian prclab, care cere braovenilor doi meteri i ase calfe pentru a ridica o casp n Trgovite. Spre sfritul aceluiai secol, n partea sudic a complexului se va construi un zid cu o lungime de aproximativ 20m, n captul cruia a fost ridicat un turn. La 11 noiembrie 1476, ntr-o scrisoare a lui tefan Bathory, acesta se folosete, pentru a desemna Trgovitea, de termenul castel, ceea ce ne face s credem c la acea dat Turnul Chindiei fusese terminat. n partea sud-estic a curii domneti se ridic biserica domneasc mic, cu hramul Sf. Vineri, prin tradiie ctitorie a unei neidenticate doamne Sultana. O inscripie de pe faada sudic, din data de 13 Iulie 1517, care-i pomenete drept ctitori pe Manea Cluceru i pe soia sa Vldaia, ne permite s constatm c la acea dat biserica exista. S-a presupus c aceasta aparine din punct de vedere tipologic secolului al XVlea, fr a ti ns cu siguran anul edicrii. Iniial aceasta se aa la exteriorul incintei.

3, 4, 5. Diferite vederi ale Turnului Chindiei.

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Importante nsemnri despre aspectul curii domneti n secolul al XVI-lea ne las Francesco della Valle din Padova, care vizitase capitala la 1532, i Pierre Lescalopier, care n 1574 va trece prin Trgovite. Relatrile lui Jaques Bongars i cele ale lui Franco Sivori surprind o a treia faz constructiv important, anume cea din vremea lui Petru Cercel (iulie 1583 aprilie 1585), cnd va mrit conacul, se va ridica biserica domneasc, se va schimba traseul curtinei i se va edica un turn de acces n incint. Prima meniune direct a Turnului Chindiei o avem din 1595, dat la care a fost semnalat un turn ntro biseric. n timpul luptelor din 1595, sub scurta ocupaie otoman, se va construi la Trgovite o palanc bastionar care va incendiat o dat cu retragerea trupelor turceti. Matei Basarab (septembrie 1632 - aprilie 1654) va reconstrui complexul, va dubla zidul de incint i va ridica o baie turceasc, modicri amintite i de Paul de Alep. Soia lui Constantin erban Crnul, Doamna Blaa, va aduga bisericii Sf. Vineri pridvorul, ale crui arce, dei zidite cndva n jurul anului 1750 de ctre erban Fusea din cauza degradrii, se mai pot totusi distinge. Aceeai doamn a ridicat n 1656, conform pisaniei de pe peretele sudic, un azil lng biserica cu hramul Cuvioasei Paraschiva. Iniial casa avea o prisp pe faada de nord. Ultimele restaurri au modicat acoperiul i golurile ferestrelor.

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

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10, 11, 12, 13. Diverse vederi ale curii domneti.

n 1660, Gheorghe Ghica (noiembrie 1659 - septembrie 1660) distruge curtea domneasc din ordinul Porii. Cernd mai nti acordul aceleiai nalte Pori, Constantin Brncoveanu (octombrie 1688 - martie 1724) va reface complexul n cel de al patrulea an al domniei sale, numindu-l ispravnic al lucrrii pe unchiul lui, Mihai Cantacuzino. Palatul a fost terminat n 1695, iar n toamna anului 1699 la culesul viilor a fost isprvit i refacerea bisericii domneti. Din iniiativa aceluiai domn au fost reparate clopotnia i paraclisul, a fost ridicat un grajd, o cas a urlarilor, iar n 1701 se construiete n afara zidurilor o cas pentru iazagiu i una pentru doftor. n 1702 i 1714 vor vizita capitala arheologul englez Edmond Chishull i respectiv La Motraye, care au lasat o scurt descriere a complexului. O dat cu moartea lui Constantin Brncoveanu 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 efectuate i n vremea lui Grigore al II-lea Ghica (aprilie 1748 - august 1752) care se vor dovedi ns efemere deoarece n 1785 bolile au czut. La data la care ocupa functia de mare vistier, n prima domnie a lui Mihail uu (martie 1791 - ianuarie 1793), Enchi Vcrescu l-a convins pe acesta s repare biserica domneasc. n urma cutremurului din 1803 i a incendiului din acelai an, fosta curte domneasc devine o ruin. La biserica Sf. Vineri se efectueaz reparaii de ctre mitropolitul Dionisie Lupu, care o i transform cu aceast ocazie n metoh al mnstirii Dealu. n 1850 paharnicul Niculaie Brtescu a nlat zidurile acesteia cu un metru, construind un nou pridvor cu clopotni din lemn, aceasta din urm ind desinat ulterior. La jumtatea secolului al XIX-lea a fost restaurat Turnul Chindiei, schimbndu-se aspectul original, cel pe care l surprinsese Michel Bouquet la 1840 n cteva desene ale curii domneti. Ctre sfritul aceluiai secol, peste ruinele complexului vor ridicate construcii noi, alterndu-se astfel vechile structuri.

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

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Dup ninarea Comisiunii Monumentelor Istorice n 1892 se restaureaz biserica domneasc n intervalul 1907-1910, sub coordonarea lui N. Ghica-Budeti, lucrri care nu au inut ns cont de aspectul iniial, modicndu-se turlele, faadele i acoperiul. Ultimele aciuni de restaurare au avut loc n 1961, din iniiativa Direciei Monumentelor Istorice, dat dup care singurele aciuni ntreprinse au constat n sondaje arheologice i lucrri de ntreinere i amenajare 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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reconstituire de Radu Oltean.

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

115 Bibliograa sitului:

Pavel Chihaia, Arta medieval, vol. I, Monumente din cetile de scaun ale rii Romneti, Bucureti, 1998; Gh. I. Cantacuzino, Date arheologice n legtur cu cronologia unor construcii ale curii domneti din Trgovite, 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 ara Romneasc n secolele XIII-XVI, Bucureti, 2001; N. Constantinescu, Contribuii arheologice asupra curii domneti din Trgovite (sec. XIV-XVII), SCIV, XV, 2, Bucureti, 1964; N. Constantinescu, Cercetrile arheologice de la Curtea domneasc din Trgovite, Documente recent descoperite i informaii arheologice, Bucureti, 1987; N. Constantinescu, Corneliu Ionescu, Asupra habitatului urban de la Trgovite ante 1394. Repere din vatra Curii domneti, SCIVA, 31, 1, Bucureti, 1980; N. Constantinescu, Cristian Moisescu, Curtea domneasc din Trgovite, Bucureti, 1965; P. Diaconescu, Cercetri arheologice la Curtea domneasc din Trgovite, Valachica, 15, Trgovite, 1997; V. Drghiceanu, Cluza monumentelor din judeul Dmbovia, Trgovite, Bucureti, 1907; V. Drghiceanu, tiri mai vechi despre ruinele Curii domneti din Trgovite, BCMI, VIII, 30, Bucureti, 1915; Mircea B. Ionescu, Trgovite. Schie istorice i topograce, Oradea, 1929; Grigore Ionescu, Istoria arhitecturii n Romnia, Bucureti, 1963; Cristian Moisescu, Prima curte domneasc de la Trgovite, BMI, XXXIX, 1, Bucureti, 1970; Cristian Moisescu, Trgovite. Monumente istorice i de art, Bucureti, 1979.

ENGLISH TRANSLATION
transl. Ana Maria Gruia The rst recorded mention of the residence in Trgovite can be found in the writings of crusader Hans Schiltberger, who took part in the battle of Nicopolis in 1396, and spoke about the two capitals of Walachia, Agrich and Turkoich. It is important to mention that he wrote that text later, probably after 1427, when he returned from his long journey in the East. From a document dated between 1409 and1418, one nds out that Mihail I, son and associate ruler of Mircea the Elder, had his residence in Trgovite. One can thus hypothesize that the city became a capital once Mihail I was invested, in 1408. Taking into consideration the fact that Schiltbergers text was written after 1427, I tend to believe that the state of affairs recorded by him was in fact the one he observed on his journey back and not the one from 1396. The sole counter-argument is that the itinerary he followed back went through Moldavia and not Walachia. It is therefore impossible to agree upon a certain date when Trgovite became the second capital of the principality. But based on the number of documents emitted in the town between 1418 (the date on the rst document from Trgovite, DRH, B, vol. I, no. 42) and 1448, one can speculate that Trgovite became the only capital of Walachia during the reign of Alexandru Aldea. Starting with his reign, all documents were emitted from Trgovite. The rst written mention of the town in a document emitted inside the principality is a privilege dated 1403 and renewed in 1409, that stipulated the princes privilege of choosing rst among the merchants goods, selecting those that he might need for his residence in Trgovite. This might indicate that the princely residence had been recently erected, probably towards the end of the previous century. The hypothesis is conrmed by the archaeological research of the site during 1961 and 1986, that also pointed towards the existence of earlier wooden constructions. It seems that in 1403 the complex included a house (C1, maybe belonging to the predecessors of Mircea the Elder and probably rebuilt by Mihail I), a chapel, most probably a curtain wall, and a palisade. The second great building campaign documented by the archaeological excavation can be placed around the middle of the fteenth century (after the reign of Alexandru Aldea, during that of Vlad Dracul, according to Nicolae Constantinescu, or of Vlad the Impaler, according to Tereza Sinigalia).

Copyright-ul ilustraiilor:
fotograi de Valentin Slgeanu, 2004; vedere panoramic cu copyright necunoscut; fotograi de arhiv cu copyright divers; reconstituire de Radu Oltean; planuri cu copyright necunoscut, oferite de Radu Oltean.

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It included: the Tower of Chindia, built above the narthex of the chapel, a second princely house (C2), a new curtain wall, a tower that was cylindrical on the inside and polygonal on the outside placed in the northern corner of the precinct, and a large defensive ditch, the largest known from the territory of Walachia, 24 meters wide and 4 meters deep, strengthened with wooden sticks implanted obliquely in its banks. On November 17, 1476, during the second reign of Vlad the Impaler (November-December 1476), a certain Cristian castellan is mentioned, and his request for two masters and six apprentices from Braov, for the erection of a house in Trgovite. Towards the end of the century, a 20 meter-long wall attached to a tower 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 Tower of Chindia had already been constructed. The small princely church dedicated to St. Friday was erected in the south-eastern part of the complex. The tradition preserves the name of the donor, an unidentied lady Sultana. An inscription from the southern facade, dated July 13, 1517, mentions Manea Cluceru and his wife Vldaia as donors, therefore by this time the church was already in use. According to the typology of its architecture, the church belongs to the fteenth century, but the exact date of the building remains unknown. In the beginning, the church was located outside the fortied walls. Important information on the exterior aspect of the princely court in the sixteenth century can be found in the writings of Francesco della Valle from Padua, who visited the capital in 1532, and of Pierre Lescalopier, who passed through the town in 1547. Jacques Bongars and Franco Sivori both wrote about the third important building phase, during the reign of Petru Cercel (July 1583-April 1585). The residence was enlarged, the princely church was built, the surrounding walls were modied, and an entrance tower was erected over the main entrance in the precinct. The rst direct mention of the Tower of Chindia dates from 1595, when the documents testify to the existence of a tower in a church. During the ghts of 1595, under the short Ottoman occupation, an earth and wood rampart with bastions was built in Trgovite, but it was burnt down during the retreat of the Turkish troops. Matei Basarab (September 1632-April 1654) rebuilt the complex, doubled the precinct, and erected a Turkish bath, according to the writings of Paul of Aleppo. Lady Blaa, the wife of Constantin erban Crnul, had a porch added to the church of St. Friday. The arches of this porch can still be seen, although they were built around 1750 by erban Fusea because of the degraded state of the building. The same lady also paid for the erection of an asylum near the church dedicated to St. Parascheva, according to an inscription placed on the southern wall. Initially, the house had a porch on the northern facade. The most recent restoration works have modied the aspect of the roof and of the window openings. In 1660, Gheorghe Dica (November 1659-September 1660) destroyed the princely court at the order of the Ottoman Porte. Having obtained the acceptance of the Sublime Porte, Constantin Brncoveanu (October 1688-March 1724) rebuilt the complex during the fourth year of his reign, appointing his uncle Mihai Cantacuzino as leader of the works. The palace was built in 1695, and the princely church was nished in the autumn of 1699, by the time when the vineyards are picked. Through the initiative of the same prince, the bell tower and the chapel were repaired, stables were built, a house for the fe players (surlari), and, in 1701, a house for the administrator of the ponds (iazagiu) and one for the doctor (doftor), both outside of the fortied precinct. In 1702 and 1714, the capital city was visited by the English archaeologist Edmond Chishull and by LaMotraye, who both left short descriptions of the complex. The princely court was abandoned at the death of Constantin Brncoveanu. The princely church was repaired in 1734 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. Some repairs were conducted during the reign of Grigore II Ghica (April 1748-August 1752), but they proved to be temporary, since in 1785 the vaults also crumbled. Enachi Vcrescu, while great treasurer during the rst reign of Mihai uu (March 1791-January 1793), managed to convince the prince to have the princely church in Trgovite repaired. After the earthquake of 1803 the court remained in ruins. The church of St. Friday beneted from some restoration works at the initiative of the metropolitan bishop Dionisie Lupu, who also transferred it under the authority of Dealu monastery. In 1850, cupbearer Niculaie Brtescu had the walls of the church raised by one meter and had a new porch built, provided with a wooden tower that was later on demolished. In the middle of the nineteenth century, the Chindia Tower was restored and its original aspect, recorded by Michel Bouquet in 1840 in several drawings of the princely court, was altered. Towards the end of the same century, new buildings were erected over the ruins of the complex, altering the ancient structures.

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After the establishment of the Commission for Historical Monuments, in 1892, the princely court was restored during 1907-1910. The works were coordinated by N. Ghica-Budeti, but they did not take into account the original aspect of the complex, and the towers, the facades, and the roof were modied. The last restoration works date back to 1961, at the initiative of the Historical Monuments Department. After that, the only activities performed on the site included archaeological testing and maintenance works.