L’Eglise de l’hopital du monastère Brâncoveni (Département Olt). Recherches iconographiques
The Church of the Hospital from Brancoveni Monastery (Olt County). Iconographic Research

Summary/Abstract: The present paper aims to provide information on the recentrestoration of the murals inside the small church of the „Bolniţa”(Romanian word for a chapel lying next to a monastic hospital) of theBrâncoveni Monastery (Department Olt), built by the Prince of WallachiaConstantin Brâncoveanu in 1700.All the inside of the church was covered with frescoes, but my attentionfocused on the paintings in the narthex. As the church is dedicated to TheArchangels, the upper part of the walls is covered with 10 compositionsillustrating facts from the Ancient Testament and from the inter-testamentaltexts in which Angels Michael et Gabriel were involved: The Sacrifice ofAbraham, Lot and the destruction of Sodom; Prophet Gideon; The FakeProphet Balaam; Prophet Daniel and the dream of the kingNabucodonosor; The dream of the Prophet Elijah; Archangel Gabrielannounces Zacharias and his wife Elisabeth about the birth of a son, thefuture John the Baptist; Archangel Gabriel announces Joachim and Annabout the birth of a daughter, Mary; Archangel Gabriel advises Joseph totake Mary as his fiancé; Annunciation.A huge Votive composition of the ancestors of the Prince ConstantinBrâncoveanu (grandfather, father, grand uncle, the Prince Matei Basaraband his father) is painted on the lower register of the room. Princess Maria,Brâncoveanu’s wife, is present, too.

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