Antim Monastery
Not far from the centre of Bucharest lays one of the most beautiful and spiritual monasteries from Romania – the Antim Monastery. Sacred to „The Sunday of all Saints”, the monastery founded by the saint Antim Ivireanu, who was the metropolitan bishop of Wallachia, was constructed between 1713 and 1715. Antim Ivireanu himself was the architect who designed and the drawings himself. Two of the monastery plans, executed on paper and parchment, can be admired in the State Archives. Because of his artistic skills, it is assumed that the frescoes of the monastery were executed under his direction, after his drawings, or that he took part in the painting of the ensemble, along with the artist Preda Zugravul. A testimony to this assumption is Antim Ivireanu’s manuscript, located at the Romanian Academy, where hundreds of painted medallions of biblical characters prove his talent as a painter. As architecture, artistic conception and ornamental patterns, the church is characteristic of the trefoil architectural style that flourished during the reign of Constantin Brancoveanu Voivode.
The defining feature of this style is the apsidal plan, consisting of three apses placed across from the church entrance – one of them above the altar, and the other two above the lateral sides of the naos. The iconostasis (altar screen) is unique in the religious art of Romania; its uniqueness resides in the fact that it was carved out of stone and embellished with sculptured decoration. This fine piece is attributed to Saint Antim Ivireanul who also devises the richly ornamented door of the church. In 1797, a theological school was accommodated within the monastery. After 1836, the holy establishment housed the Theological Seminary of the Metropolitanate of Walachia, whereas between 1840 and 1864, it sheltered the National State Archives of Romania.
Between 1860 and 1863, due to earthquakes, floods and poor maintenance, the Antim Monastery entered a complex process of restoration, including the conservation of the interior mural painting. Next to significant architectural interventions such as the reconstruction of the two towers, the addition of a neo-gothic rosette in the narthex and the iconostasis replacement, the original mural painting was removed due to its advanced state of degradation and the church was redecorated with oil paintings by Petre Alexandrescu. The scene “Descent from the Cross” by Petre Alexandrescu is a copy of Daniele da Volterra’s famous painting, made in 1541 in the Trinita dei Monti chapel in Rome. By comparison, almost no distinction can be found between the two artworks in terms of design and general composition.
In 1912, within the monastery there was constructed the Palace of Synod, inside which, now, is accommodated the Library of Synod. The holy establishment underwent extensive repairs and restorations in the fifties, under the earnest care of Justinian, the Patriarch of Orthodox Church of Romania at that time. Following the systematization works that were carried out in this area on the orders of the communist authorities in 1984, the Palace of Synod was removed twenty-five meters away from its original location, being rotated by thirteen degrees.
On 20th, June 1992, the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church decreed canonization of the founder of the monastic establishment, Antim Ivireanul, Metropolitan of Walachia (1708 – 1716), a religious figure in the highest moral rank and an outstanding cultural personality. The dedication day of Saint Antim is celebrated on September 27th.
At the end of the year 1945, within the monastery precincts there was constituted a religious society, which was known under the name of “Rugul Aprins” (The Burning Bush); the monastic residents, as well as prestigious intellectuals (professors, writers, composers, painters, students), joined with a view to pursuing significant religious matters – particularly the hesitant religious movement. Unfortunately, the communist security authorities dissolved “The Burning Bush” Religious Society in 1950, and consequently, many of its members were arrested and sentenced to hard labor in the communist prisons for many years.
Manastirea Antim
Nu departe de centrul Bucurestiului se afla una din cele mai frumoase si mai spirituale manastiri din Romania – Manastirea Antim. Avand hramul „Duminicii tuturor Sfintilor”, manastirea fondata de sfantul Antim Ivireanu, ca mitropolit al Valahiei, a fost construita intre 1713 si 1715. Antim Ivireanu insusi a fost arhitectul care a proiectat si realizat schitele manastirii. Doua planuri ale manastirii, realizate pe hartie si pergament, pot fi admirate in Arhivele Statului. Datorita indemanarii sale artistice, se presupune ca frescele manastirii au fost executate sub indrumarea sa, pe baza schitelor sale, sau ca a luat parte la pictarea ansamblului, impreuna cu artistul Preda Zugravul. O marturie a acestei presupuneri este manuscrisul lui Antim Ivireanu, aflat la Academia Romania, unde sute de medalioane pictate cu personaje biblice dovedesc talentul sau de pictor. Ca arhitectura, conceptie artistica si modele ornamentale, biserica este caracteristica stilului arhitectural trifoi care a inflorit in timpul domniei lui Constantin Brancoveanu.
Trasatura definitorie a acestui stil este planul apsidal, care consta din trei apside plasate dupa intrarea in biserica – una din ele deasupra altarului, si alte doua deasupra laturilor laterale ale naosului. Iconostasul (ecranul altarului) este unic in arta religioasa din Romania; unicitatea lui consta in faptul ca este sculptat in piatra si impodobit cu decoratii sculptate. Aceasta piesa fina este atribuita Sfantului Antim Ivireanul care de asemenea a conceput si ornamentatia bogata a usii bisericii. In 1797, o scoala teologica a fost infiintata in cadrul manastirii. Dupa 1836, sfantul stabiliment a gazduit Seminarul Teologic al Mitropoliei Valahiei, unde intre 1840 si 1864, au fost adapostite Arhivele Nationale ale Statului Roman.
Intre 1860 si 1863, din cauza cutremurelor, inundatiilor si intretinerii precare, Manastirea Antim a intrat intr-un complex proces de restaurare, incluzand conservarea picturilor murale interior. Pe langa interventii arhitecturale semnificative cum ar fi reconstruirea celor doua turnuri, adaugarea unei rozete neo-gotice in nartex si inlocuirea iconostasului, pictura murala originala a fost indepartata datorita starii avansate de degradare si biserica a fost redecorata cu picturi in ulei realizate de Petre Alexandrescu. Scena “Coborarii de pe Cruce” de Petre Alexandrescu este o copie a faimoasei picturi a lui Daniele da Volterra, realizata in 1541 in capela Trinita dei Monti din Roma. Prin comparatie, aproape nici o diferenta nu a fost gasita intre cele doua opere de arta in ceea ce priveste design-ul si compozitia generala.
In 1912, in incinta manastirii a fost construit Palatul Sinodal, inauntrul caruia, in prezent, se afla Biblioteca Sinodului. Sfantul stabiliment a suferit reparatii extinse si resturari complexe in anii 50, sub ingrijirea atenta a lui Iustinian, Patriarhul Bisericii Ortodoxe Romane in acea vreme. In cadrul lucrarilor de sistematizare care au avut loc in aceasta zona, la ordinul autoritatilor comuniste in 1984, Palatul Sinodal a trebuit sa fie mutat 25 de metri fata de locatia originala, fiind rotit cu 13 grade.
La 20 Iunie 1992, Sfantul Sinod al Bisericii Ortodoxe Romane a fost decretata canonizarea intemeietorului asezamantului monastic, Antim Ivireanul, Mitropolit al Valahiei (1708 – 1716), figura religioasa de o inalta moralitate si o personalitate culturala remarcabila. Ziua dedicata Sfantului Antim este celebrata pe 27 Septembrie.
La sfarsitul anului 1945, in cadrul manastirii a fost constituita o societate religioasa, care era cunoscuta sub numele de “Rugul Aprins”; calugarii din manastire, precum si prestigiosi intelectuali (profesori, scriitori, compozitori, pictori, studenti), s-au alaturat societatii urmarind schimbari semnificante religioase – in particular miscarea religioasa scazuta din acea vreme. Din pacate, securitatea comunista a dizolvat Societatea Religioasa “Rugul Aprins” in 1950, si in consecinta, multi dintre membrii sai au fost arestati si condamnati la munca grea in inchisorile comuniste pentru multi ani.
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