Sadova Monastery

Sadova Monastery is a fortified Orthodox monastic complex located in the commune of Sadova, Dolj County, in the southern part of Oltenia, in the Danube plain, on the road connecting Craiova to Bechet. Its founding is lost in the mists of time: the oldest document attesting to the monastery's existence dates from 1530, and the first church, built of wood, was the endowment of the powerful Craiovești boyar family, erected in the early sixteenth century. The current church, built of brick with thick walls raised on a foundation of stone boulders, was constructed by ruler Matei Basarab on the site of the old wooden place of worship; work began in 1632 and was completed on 26 August 1633. The church is dedicated to Saint Nicholas and has a triconch plan, with a tower over the nave and an enclosed porch. Matei Basarab fortified the monastery around 1640, with the work subsequently continued by Preda Brâncoveanu, and Saint Constantin Brâncoveanu erected a hospital church in 1693, dedicated to the Entry of the Mother of God into the Temple. Owing to its strategic position near the Danube, the fortified monastery played an important role in the battles fought in the area over the centuries, which also brought it considerable damage. The complex underwent several phases of repair and restoration in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and more recently in the contemporary period. Fragments of the original mural paintings from 1792 are preserved, subsequently restored in 1852 and 1903. Listed as a historical monument, the monastery today functions as an active monastic establishment and stands as one of the most significant foundations of Matei Basarab in Oltenia.