Între Negru Vodă şi Prinţul Negru al Ţării Româneşti: mormântul 10 din biserica Sfântul Nicolae Domnesc de la Curtea de Argeş
BETWEEN NEGRU VODĂ AND THE BLACK PRINCE [PRINŢUL NEGRU] OF WALACHIA: GRAVE 10 IN ST. NICHOLAS PRINCELY CHURCH OF CURTEA DE ARGEŞ

Summary/Abstract: In 1920, the first rulers of Wallachia were still deemed – rather wealthy – peasants that reigned in just and pious manner over lands still uncorrupted by – more modern – stylish vices and aims. A grave completely changed this picture born out of the Romanian political needs of the early 20th century. Almost a century later, the impact of this grave is still far from being exhausted. This is perhaps the greatest and simplest mystery housed by this grave, commonly debated as well as adored. After the end of the Great War (1914−1918) that also brought in 1916 and in 1917 the devastations of the graves of Mircea I cel Bătrân/cel Mare (the Elder/the Great) in Cozia and Radu IV cel Mare at Dealu, two figures – in particular the former – of paramount importance – both in history as well as in historiography – for Wallachia and Romania, the interest in historical legitimacy increased as the Kingdom of Romania was about to officially become Grand Romania. The researches – in the end highly interdisciplinary (even according to modern standards) – conducted at the Princely St. Nicholas Church in Curtea de Argeş were a prime example of these efforts. The most important discovery was – unquestionably – the so-called Grave 10, the only fully preserved – even until the present day – burial in Wallachia of a high ranking medieval political figure. The tomb was attributed to the legendary Negru Vodă (known also as Radu the Black), (even to) Basarab I, Wladislaw I or Radu I. The new researches initiated – both at the “princely court” and at the “princely church” – almost four decades later at Curtea de Argeş (1967−1973) should have led to more clarity. Instead, they fuelled controversies and confusions in spite of the discovery of an older church – presumed since the 1930s – underneath the extant princely church (commonly dated after 1340, with – at times – emphasis on the 1360s). Because the first church was dated even to the early 1200s (the dating of the so-called Argeş I Church further – and significantly more likely – ranges between the mid 1200s and the early 1300s) and as Grave 10 was increasingly associated with either Wladislaw I (1364 − c. 1377) or Radu I (c. 1377 − c. 1383), little or no connection was established between Argeş I and Grave 10, ascribed to the – since the early 1970s called – Argeş II Church, albeit the fact that the evidence suggested a different approach (already since the Interwar period and especially after the late 1960s and the early 1970s). The growing speculations and mounting controversies following the discovery of Grave 10 have diverted attention from the primary source: the journal of excavations of Virgiliu Drăghiceanu.

• Details
• Contents