The Nucet Monastery ✥۩♚۩✥

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English and Romanian - Wikipedia

- The Nucet Monastery is situated in the south-western part of Dambovita County, between the Plain of Targoviste of the Romanian Plain. The name of the place comes from the many wallnut trees in the area. The Cozia Monastery used to bear the same name, for a short period of time. The year when the monastery was founded stays debatable even today. It might have been founded by an uncle of Radu the Great - boyar Gherghina Parcalab, and his wife, Neaga. A document from January 1516 shows that Vlad the Monk, the Prince of Southern Romania (1485-1495), offers the monastery a mountain.

- The old tradition says that the monastery was erected between 1375 - 1500, so it was founded by St. Nikodim, or more precisely, by his disciples. Yet the official founder stays Gherghina Parcalab. Throughout the ages, the place underwent several renovations and upgradings. Out of the church built around 1500, two layers of painting have been preserved: one from the 16th century and the other one from the first half of the 18th century. After the earthquake in 1738, the church was rebuilt by the Vacareascu family with major modifications. The current belfry on the eastern part was built in early 19th centuy. The new church was built between 1840-1849, during the reign of Alexander Ghika. on the foundations of the old church, now demolished. The architecture is specific to this period. After the nationalization of the monastery assets in 1863, the Greek monks at the monastery left and theyr were replaced by Romanian ones.

- After 1930, the monastery became a ruin. Seriously affected at the earthquake in 1940 and forsaken, the place became a community church, used by the locals until its degradation became striking. In 1994 it was decided that the community of nuns should be reorganized. After the earthqaukes, the walls have cracked, which endangered the stability of the place. At a certain point, the dome above the nave collapsed and the church was left without a roof for three months, a period when the damages worsened. After the monastery was reopened, another chapel was build and dedicated to the "Assumption of Mary", along a gazebo - ""Fantana de leac" (the Life-giving Founatain) - and a wing of cells.

- Manastirea Nucet se afla la 16 km sud de Targoviste si in partea de sud-vest a judetului Dambovita, intre campia inalta a Targovistei si cea joasa a Munteniei. Locul si-a luat numele de la multimea nucilor aflati acolo. Acelasi nume - Nucet - era purtat si de manastire Cozia, insa doar pentru o perioada.

- Intre toate manastirile din zona Targovistei medievale, Nucetul a fost, pana nu de mult, singura manastire situata spre sud. A doua manastire, ca importanta, dupa manastirea Dealu, a facut parte din fortificatia de aparare a Cetatii de Scaun. Data infiintarii a fost controversata. O varianta ar fi ca manastirea este ctitoria unchiului lui Radu cel Mare, batranul jupan Gherghina Parcalab, cu sotia sa, Neaga. Din documentul emis la 23 ianuarie 1516 de catre Cancelaria lui Neagoe Basarab aflam cum Vlad Calugarul, domnul Tarii Romanesti intre 1485-1495, o inzestrase cu un munte.

- O alta varianta ar fi traditia mai veche, inregistrata la inceputul secolului nostru, care considera ca manastirea "s-a cladit intre anii 1375 si 1500 pe timpul Basarabilor, cand s-a descoperit o icoana a Sfantului Mare Mucenic Gheorghe, determinand astfel ridicarea unei biserici din lemn in jurul careia traiau cativa calugari dupa randuiala Sfantului Nicodim de la Tismana". Conform acestei traditii, manastirea ar fi fost intemeiata de Sfantul Nicodim sau mai precis de unii ucenici ai sai. Ctitorul sau oficial, Gherghina Parcalab, aduce contributia sa peste vechiul asezamant din secolul XIV.

- Sfantul locas a suferit in decursul timpului multe renovari si imbunatatiri, astfel, potrivit traditiei, "Neagoe Basarab cu multe au innoit-o si au prefacut-o... si preafacatoarea de minuni icoana Sfantului Mucenic Gheorghe, a batut el insusi, cu cuisoare, un mar de aur curat impodobit cu margaritare si cu pietre scumpe", intarindu-i mosiile. Din biserica ridicata pe la 1500 s-au pastrat in mod surprinza­tor doua straturi de pictura: cel inferior, de la inceputul sec. al XVI-lea, datorat probabil lui Radu cel Mare si lui Neagoe Basarab si al doilea strat de pictura, din prima jumatate a sec. al XVIII-lea, despre care deocamdata nu se poate preciza daca apartine anilor 1712 sau 1746.

 - Spre sfarsitul secolului al XVII-lea Constantin Brancoveanu i-a inchinat ca metoc manastirii Nucet schitul Panaghia "pentru ca era mai intemeiata si cu chivernisire mai buna de catre cautarea calugarilor".

- Dupa cel mai puternic cutremur din secolul al XVIII-lea, din anul 1738, biserica Sfintei Manastiri Nucet a suferit prefaceri importante, fiind rezidita cu cheltuiala si osteneala unor membri ai familiei Vacarescu. La inceputul sec. al XIX-lea au aparut noi schimbari in Complexul monastic de la Nucet. Tot in aceasta perioada se ridica si actualul turn clopotnita de pe latura estica. Schimbari esentiale la Complexul Monastic de la Nucet au avut loc intre anii 1840-1849. Acum a fost construita noua biserica in timpul domniei lui Alexandru Ghica pe temeliile vechii biserici demolate. Biserica este realizata intr-o arhitectura specifica acestei perioade, apropiata si de cea a bisericii din Baleni Romani, ctitorita tot la 1840.

- Dupa secularizarea averilor manastiresti din anul 1863, calugarii greci traitori la Sfanta Manastire Nucet au plecat, in locul lor venind calugari romani ce au vietuit aici pana in anul 1930, cand manastirea a ajuns in paragina. Avariat grav la cutremurul din 1940 si parasit de monahi, sfantul locas a devenit biserica de mir, folosita de enoriasii comunei pana la o deteriorare ingrijoratoare. In cadrul sedintei Consiliului eparhial din data de 15 martie 1994 s-a hotarat reinfiintarea Sfintei Manastiri Nucet ca manastire de maici, cu hramul Sfantului Mare Mucenic Gheorghe, purtatorul de biruinta.