The former Arhanghel 1 or Aranghel hermitage, as the locals also called it, situated on Priba Hill, approximately five kilometres from the town of Râmnicu Vâlcea, is an ancient monastic settlement which has suffered considerable damage over the years. Consequently, there have been several phases of restoration and even reconstruction2. The historian Dinu C. Giurescu believed that this monastery had existed since the late 14th century or the early 15th century3.
The oldest documentary record of the hermitage dedicated to ‘Saint Michael the Archangel’ on the outskirts of Râmnic is preserved in a charter dated 1490, issued by Vlad Călugărul, Prince of Wallachia (1481; 1482–1495), by which he confirmed ownership of the homestead and its surroundings 4. However, the hermitage had existed long before this document was issued 5. One of the church’s rectors was Stoica vel paharnic. In the year 1522, he built the church from the ground up, dedicating it to the ‘Holy Angels’, as was later recorded in an inscription (in the year 1725) on the occasion of its restoration. In her monograph, the researcher Constanța Badea identifies Stoica with Staico, the ancestor of the famous Oltenian Pârâieni family. 6
Radu Vodă Paisie also confirmed to the monks of the monastery, on 11 December 1535 (7044), their ownership of the lands surrounding the monastery, as well as the villages of Vlădești, the lands of Jitian, Manea and their brothers, which had been purchased from them by the governor Oprea and the steward Radu, and which they had donated to the hermitage. They also donated a vineyard at Copăcel and the villages of Bunești and Urluești, as well as Gypsy settlements. 7 This monastery was granted and had confirmed a number of material assets, which it had received from its founders.
On 5 October 1564, Petru the Younger, Prince of Wallachia (1559–1568), confirmed to the Monastery of the Archangel, ‘which is at Râmnic, Olt’, the villages of Urluești and Bunești following legal proceedings with Ianachi, the steward8; and on 8 January 1567, it was granted dominion over the estate surrounding the monastery, including all its boundaries, but from below Vlădești, at Gâlmele, then along the ridge, as far as Silea’s vineyard, from the town of Râmnic9
During the reign of Alexander II Mircea (1568–1577), specifically on 14 June 1571, mention is made of a dispute instigated by Lady Dumitra, the wife of the late Petru, who was claiming the dowry from her father, Stoica the armourer: the village of Ulița, together with the Archangel Monastery and the mills, an estate acquired during the reign of the late Voivode Radu the Good, but the county authorities and the 12 village elders sided with the townspeople and maintained that the village belonged to the principality. 10
On 8 January 1624, Voivode Alexandru Coconul (1623–1627) ordered that “the holy monastery known as the Archangel above Râmnic […] be left in peace and exempt from tithes on beehives, guesthouses, sheep, pigs and vineyards [...] for this is what Abbot Serafim said, that they had been exempted by all the princes of former times” and especially since the monastery had then been plundered by the Hungarians, as the charter records: “[...] But when the Hungarians were in the country [...] they plundered the monastery, taking the provisions and the books from the holy monastery’11
In documents issued on 20 and 30 May 1624, Voivode Alexandru Coconul confirmed the cupbearer Chisar’s dominion over the entire estate of the Archangel Monastery on the River Râmnic, comprising the fields, the forest, the water, the village centre, together with the entire boundary that had belonged to the Arhanghel Monastery in the days of Radu Voivode 12 and all the acquired properties, which also included a plot of land in Copăcel, and the entire portion of Copăcel that had belonged to Chisar of Sărăcinești. 13 Mention is made of the exchange between Chisar of Sărăcinești, the nephew of Anghel the Commissioner, and Chisar the Cupbearer of Ruda concerning the Archangel’s share in the village of Copăcel and the latter’s share in Mihăiești. 14
The Most Reverend Father Partenie, abbot of the Archangel Hermitage, appears as a witness in a deed of donation dated 20 March 1645, as well as on 15 May 1654. 15
In a letter dated 14 June 1667, Radu Vodă Leon asks His Grace Ignatie, Bishop of Râmnic, not to alter the right of the Pârâian boyars to appoint abbots at the Archangel Monastery, ‘their foundation’16. From the contents of this document, we can see that the ancestors of this boyar family had been the founders of this monastic settlement. The petition to the Prince had been lodged by Calotă, the chamberlain of Pârâieni, together with his son Barbu, the captain, and the son of Danciul, the chamberlain. They state that “their Archangels Monastery, their alms from their forefathers and ancestors, sustained entirely by their own provisions, and when it so happened that the abbot died, they sent men to take everything that was there, and that abbot whom you have appointed is plundering and laying waste to what remains of that legacy.” The Prince commands that peace be restored to them and that all should remain as it was before 17.
In the year 1679, the Archangel Hermitage received the vineyard at Vlădești through a princely charter from Șerban Vodă Cantacuzino 18.
On 20 September 1717, the hermitage was consecrated to the Patriarchate of Alexandria 19, and was administered by the Segarcea metochion (Dolj County), and subsequently, both places of worship became metochions of Stănești Monastery and remained so until the secularisation of monastic property (1863). The donation is confirmed by a letter from Maria Băneasa 20, wife of the late Barbu Milescu (Pârâianu), vel ban, dated 28 September 1717, addressed to Patriarch Samuil. The owner states that ‘together with my son-in-law, Dositeu the monk, son of Cornia Brăiloiu, known as ‘vel ban’, whose secular name was Dumitrașcu, and with my nephew Toma, his son, being moved by good conscience, upon the arrival of His Holiness, the Patriarch Samuil, and having great reverence for His Holiness, and knowing that the holy and apostolic See of the Patriarchate of Alexandria, more than any other, is in want and in need, having little support here in the country, we have deigned and resolved to dedicate to this holy See of Alexandria our monastery in southern Vâlcea, to be called the Archangel, where the feast of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel is celebrated, together with all the estates, mills, vineyards, Gypsies, Romanians and other revenues it may possess, from the greatest to the least, as recorded and evidenced by the monastery’s books and deeds, all of which have been entrusted to His Holiness Patriarch Samuel, so that they may serve for the sustenance and proper management of the See of Alexandria and for the eternal remembrance of our departed ancestors and the Pârâian founders, for the salvation of our souls, we beseech the Most Holy Patriarch, whoever may hold that office in due course, to take it upon himself every year, on the feast day of the Holy Archangels, to celebrate a Divine Liturgy, wherever he may be, and to commemorate the departed souls of the ancient founders and our own, who built this holy monastery from the ground up and endowed it. And once more we pray for this holy monastery that he may give orders so that the abbot who shall come in due course may take care to provide for the monastery’s needs, and not to allow the holy monastery to fall into disrepair, nor to alter anything pertaining to the monastery. For this reason, we have entrusted this genuine letter of ours to the holy hands of His Holiness Patriarch Samuel, so that he may hold and govern this holy monastery mentioned above, with all its possessions, in peace, on behalf of our entire people and the founders. Likewise, none of the descendants of the founders, who may come after us, shall be at liberty to take anything from the holy monastery, be it much or little. And whoever should take anything shall be held to account before the dreadful judgement, and the holy angels shall stand as their accusers. And, for the sake of the true faith, we have confirmed this letter with our signatures and seals, so that it may be believed, there being also other honourable witnesses who shall sign below. 28 September, year 7226 [1717]”21
On 11 November 1722, a dispute arose between Govora Monastery and the Archangel Hermitage concerning the mill ford on the Râmnicul de Sus river, where the Erbășia mill was situated 22. In the year 1723, in a deed, Archimandrite Petronie of Segarcea attests that he had, for the second time, taken legal action against Bratul Vătaf, the nephew of the Bishop of Râmnic, concerning the same millstream, which he had considered to be the property of the Archangel Monastery 23.
Due to its dilapidated state, the church was rebuilt from the ground up in 1725 by Archimandrite Petronie of Segarcea and Gherman, the abbot of the hermitage, on the foundations of the old building. Following the restoration, an inscription carved in stone was placed in the porch, bearing the following text: ‘This holy and divine church, to be called the Archangel, where the feast of the Holy Angels is celebrated, was originally built from the foundations up by Jupan Stoica, the cupbearer, in the year 7030 [1522], but having grown old, it had collapsed. And now, in the days of the imperial reign, Archimandrite Petronie of Șăgarcea and Abbot Gherman of Arhanghel undertook to rebuild it at their own expense, as a memorial to them for ever, on 24 September in the year 7234 [1725]24”.
The Austrian captain Friedrich Schwantz von Springfels mentions, amongst the monastic monasteries of Oltenia, the Arhanghel hermitage 25. Another Austrian historical source, dated 10 June 1731, known as the ‘Latin Catagrafia’, which records historical data on the 40 monasteries and hermitages in Oltenia, mentions the Arhanghel hermitage, listed amongst the monastic chapels 26.
On 26 March 1733, a certain ‘Father Dumitru of Aranghel’27 appears in a document as a scribe and witness.
In 1747, in view of the widespread theft of timber, it became necessary to appoint a forester at the Arhanghel hermitage 28, and on 8 January 1767, a royal charter was issued for the estate surrounding the Arhanghel hermitage 29. The first inventory dates from 27 May 1789, when the ‘list of movable and immovable property’ of the hermitage was drawn up 30.
Between 1811 and 1817, the hermitage’s church was rebuilt by Archimandrite Sofronie Zlătăreanul 31, “with the financial support of Hagi Enuș [Ene Nanu], an Aromanian merchant from Craiova, who also built the Church of Hagi Enuș in the fortress of Bănie, founded by his brother Nicolae in 1800’32 The inscription that was formerly found at the hermitage bore the following text: “This holy and divine church was built in honour of the holy Angels Michael and Gabriel by the servant of God, Sofronie, the archimandrite, for his eternal remembrance; in the year 7325[1816/1817]’33.
The church’s frescoes, painted by Ilie the painter, also form part of this phase of restoration, being dated to the year 1811. In the votive painting, located in the narthex, the following are depicted wearing the traditional attire of the Arnouts of Greece: Athanasie Tașu, son of Zaharia, the brother of Ene, a Greek, Polihronie the serdar, brother of the Macedonian Greeks (on the south, west and north walls); Hagi Enuș son of Costea Petruși with his brothers from the village of Negades (Greece), “they built this[…]; in the year 1811”; Sofronie, archimandrite of Zlătari; Stoica, cupbearer (on the west wall); Jupan Iiane, son of Zaharia; Zaharia, father of Iiane (on the north side)34”.
On the exterior, on the north side of the porch, are depicted Hristea Athanasiu, Athanasie Tașu, son of Zaharia, Ene’s brother, a Greek, “servants of the holy church”. At the bottom of the doors is the painter’s signature: Ilie Zugrav 35.
The Arhanghel Hermitage once had Gypsy serfs, who, on 7 November 1832, complained of the abuses they had suffered at the hands of the leaseholders. 36 At the same time, the monastery’s serfs demanded “that no more boyar landlords be imposed upon us, of whom we are fed up to the back teeth”37.
The flawed implementation of the agrarian reform led to numerous complaints and challenges from the peasants of Arhanghel. In 1871, the properties ceded to the former serfs were demarcated from the lands belonging to the village, which had previously been in the possession of the Arhanghel Monastery. In 1875, due to non-payment of leasehold taxes, orders were issued for the seizure and confiscation of the estates. To clarify the land tenure situation, in 1869, cadastral plans were drawn up by engineers Ion Abagiu, Anton Daschievici and38
The monastic settlement on the outskirts of Râmnic appears in various notes and reports submitted to the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Public Instruction. Whilst inspecting historical monuments, the writer Ioan Slavici noted the following: “This church is situated in a thoroughly sunken hollow above Râmnicu Vâlcea, yet in an otherwise pleasant spot, an hour’s walk from Râmnic, up the Zăvoi Valley, opposite the village of Vlădești de Sus […]. Although stylistically unremarkable, it is an interesting subject for study precisely because it is primitive in every respect; particular attention should be paid to the iconostasis, which is a true model of primitive craftsmanship and yet a unified whole’39
Alexandru Odobescu, accompanied by the painter Henry Trenk, visited the Archangel Hermitage on 26 July 1860. “Of the four Greek monasteries I visited (including the Archangel), I found mostly ruins and desolation, and barely a priest who was not a stranger to the administration of the monasteries”40.
In 1861, at the entrance to the church courtyard, a bell tower flanked by fir trees was built. The names of the founders were engraved on it: ‘Dragomir, Ioan and Paraschiva, Mihail and Teodor, 1861.’ Further repairs were carried out by the monastery’s caretaker in 1881, after Sofronie’s church had been damaged by an earthquake 41.
On 23 April 1884, we see that the church was a parish church, serving as a branch of the ‘All Saints’ Church in Râmnicu Vâlcea 42, serving the villages of Arhanghel, Priba, Buda and Poenari, with 17 pogoans of land, in accordance with the rural law 43. In 1894, the church was repaired once again, at which time the frescoes were also restored. The consecration service took place on 8 November. An inscription was also affixed at that time, which reads: ‘With God’s help, the frescoes of the Church of Saints Michael and Gabriel the Archangels were restored using funds provided by the Government and the following parishioners of this Church: Priest Gheorghe, George Beldiman, the persistent I-iul, Nicolae Stoiculete, Gr. Beldiman, N. Beldiman, Niță Marinescu, Gg. Stoiculete, I. Stoiculete, Ion Beldiman, Iancu Niță, Cost. Răduț, Ion al Neacși and others, for their salvation and that of their relatives, both living and departed. The consecration took place on 8 November 1894, with the blessing of His Grace the Bishop of the Diocese of Rîmnicu Noul Severin, D.D. Ghenadie Enăceanu. Painters: Toma Cristescu and Ilie Dumitrescu of Costești’44”.
C. Daniilescu tells us in his article that “the church is tiny, with dark murals, and prior to 1864 it was a hermitage belonging to Cozia Monastery, which held dominion over the surrounding state forests, to the north and east of the church, as well as the properties of the inhabitants of Arhanghel, many of whose ancestors had been serfs of the monastery, before being granted land ownership in 1864 35.
The ‘Holy Angels (Archangel)’ Church in Râmnicu Vâlcea appears in the ‘Yearbook’ for 1909, listed under Category A – ‘Urban parishes’ of the Diocese of Râmnic – Noul Severin, as a stone-built church, constructed in 1764, and a branch of the ‘All Saints’ Church in the town 45.
In the 1925 Yearbook, the ‘Holy Angels’ Church in the village of Arhanghelul is mentioned as forming part of the ‘All Saints’ Parish, a church “built of stone in 1726 and rebuilt in 1811 and 1894”, with no vicarage and no arable land. The parish, which comprises 430 Christian families, includes three churches: ‘All Saints’, ‘Saint Paraskevi’ and ‘Holy Angels’ (Arhanghel), with Dumitru G. Popescu serving as parish priest. 46
At the former Archangel Hermitage in Râmnicu Vâlcea, alongside religious activities, important educational work was also carried out. Here, pupils were taught to read and write in Church Slavonic, the language of worship and official correspondence in the Romanian Principalities until well into the 18th century, as well as Greek, the language of scholars and the ecclesiastical administration of the time. The hermitage thus functioned as a small centre of local culture, where young people learnt not only the liturgy but also basic literacy skills necessary for the community.
In the hermitage’s cells, ‘dieci’ were trained – that is, young men who were to serve as notaries for the surrounding villages. The ‘dieci’ drafted deeds of ownership, wills, testimonies and various official documents, and were indispensable at a time when few people were literate.
Thus, the Archangel Hermitage was not only a place of prayer, but also a centre for literacy and administrative training, contributing to the preservation of the liturgical language, the dissemination of culture and the smooth functioning of the communities in the Olt Valley.
The building also underwent repair work in 1921, 1925 and 1940, the latter having been carried out following the great earthquake of 10 November 1940, the strongest in 20th-century Romania. In 1935, the frescoes were cleaned.
In September 1990, the church underwent major repairs and was reconsecrated by His Grace Gherasim, Bishop of Râmnic.
Priests such as Mihail Marian, Gheorghe Dimitriu and Ioan Călin have served at the altar of the parish church dedicated to ‘Saints Michael and Gabriel the Archangels’. For 23 years, the parish priest, Emilian Părăușeanu, has led the church community, offering spiritual guidance and support, whilst also being actively involved in the lives of the congregation.
Our county carefully preserves its rich religious tradition, which spans over seven centuries, leaving behind works of undeniable cultural and spiritual value, which have transformed this heritage into a true ‘hallmark’ of Vâlcea. In this context of recognising our spiritual heritage, His Eminence Varsanufie, Archbishop of Râmnic, has revived this ancient monastic centre, restoring its authentic value to the present-day community and to future generations.
- 1
A valuable item of national cultural heritage, listed in the Register of Historic Monuments since 1955 (code 2180, then in the 1991–1992 List of Historical Monuments (code 39B0027), the 2004 List of Historical Monuments (VL-II-m-B-09596) and the 2015 List of Historical Monuments (VL-II-m-B-09596).
- 2
Archive of the Vâlcea County Directorate for Culture, collection of the County Office for National Cultural Heritage (OJPCN), file I, fol. 389. N. Stoicescu, Bibliography of Localities and Feudal Monuments in Romania, vols. I and II, Craiova, 1970, p. 539; Ion Popescu-Cilieni, Churches, Market Towns and Villages in Vâlcea County, Ramuri Publishing House, Craiova, 1941, p. 63.
- 3
Dinu C. Giurescu, Wallachia in the 14th and 15th Centuries, Editura Științifică, Bucharest, 1973, p. 364.
- 4
Toma Gheorghe Bulat, ‘The History of the Oltenian Church’, in Oltenia, Ramuri Publishing House, Craiova, 1943, p. 460.
- 5
Florin Epure, Medieval Râmnic, PC Print, Râmnicu Vâlcea, 2025, p. 82.
- 6
Constanța Badea, Petronela Badea, Mihai Pârâianu, The Pârâians of Wallachia, Intol Press, Râmnicu Vâlcea, 2017, p. 188.
- 7
Documenta Romaniae Historica (DRH), Series B, ‘Wallachia’, vol. III (1526–1535), Romanian Academy Press, Bucharest, 1975, pp. 360–362.
- 8
DRH, B, V (1551–1565), pp. 340–341.
- 9
DRH, B, VI, pp. 25–26.
- 10
DRH, B, VII (1571–1575), pp. 52–53.
- 11
Historical Documents of Romania (DIR), B, ‘Wallachia’, XVII, IV, pp. 366–367.
- 12
Maria Soveja, Doica Duca Tinculescu, Reghina Dragomir, Catalogue of Documents Relating to Wallachia from the State Archives, vol. II, doc. 1176, Bucharest, 1974, p. 598.
- 13
National Archives of Bucharest (ANB), Diocese of Râmnic, LIX, 15 and LIX, 14.
- 14
Doina Duca Tinculescu, Marcel Dumitru Ciucă, Catalogue of Documents Relating to Wallachia from the State Archives, vol. III, doc. 352, Bucharest, 1978, p. 182.
- 15
Catalogue of Documents of Wallachia, VI, p. 73.
- 16
Toma Gheorghe Bulat, Documentary Contributions to the History of Oltenia, 16th, 17th and 18th Centuries, Râmnicul Vâlcea, ‘Viitorul Vâlcei’ Printing House, 1925, pp. 114–115.
- 17
Toma Gheorghe Bulat, op. cit., pp. 114–115.
- 18
Nicolae Dobrescu, The History of the Romanian Church in Oltenia during the Austrian Occupation, ‘Carol Göbl’ Institute of Graphic Arts, Bucharest, 1906, p. 260.
- 19
Ion I. Șucu, Records of the Public Property Section – Bucharest: The Monasteries of Văcărești, Valea, Vieroș, Viforâta, Zamfira and Zlătari, General Directorate of State Archives, Chronological Index 23, doc. 271, Bucharest, 1952, p. 112.
- 20
Maria Băneasa, the wife of Barbu Milescu Pârăianul, the Grand Ban of Craiova, was the daughter of Pană Filipescul, Grand Spătar, and the sister of Matei the Stolnic and Constantin Filipescu, Captain. Her portrait is painted in the Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God in the Vădeni district, Târgu Jiu (cf. Badea C., Badea P., Pârâianu M., op. cit., p. 94).
- 21
Toma Gheorghe Bulat, ‘Documents relating to Oltenia’, in Revista istorică, Year XI, nos. 10–12, October–December 1925, vol. II, pp. 309–310.
- 22
Gherasim Cristea, Bishop of Râmnic, The History of Govora Monastery, published by the Holy Diocese of Râmnic, Râmnicu Vâlcea, 1995, p. 47.
- 23
Nicolae Bănică-Ologu, The Golden Age of Râmnic, Oscar Print, Bucharest, 2000, p. 105.
- 24
Medieval and Modern Inscriptions from Romania. The Historic County of Vâlcea (14th century–1848), Romanian Academy Press, Bucharest, 2005, pp. 785–786.
- 25
Friedrich Schwantz, ‘A Description of Oltenia (1720–1723)’, in Foreign Travellers on the Romanian Lands, vol. IX, Romanian Academy Press, Bucharest, 1980, p. 65.
- 26
SJANS, Brukenthal Collection, accession number L 15/210.
- 27
SJVAN, DI, XXVI/1.
- 28
Ion. I. Șucu, op. cit., p. 225, no. 490.
- 29
Ibid., p. 144.
- 30
Ibid., p. 167.
- 31
Ion Donat, ‘The Religious Foundations of Oltenia’, in Arhivele Olteniei, XV, 1936, pp. 14–16.
- 32
Dumitru Bălașa, ‘The History of Aranghel Monastery – Vâlcea’, in the Diocesan Guide of the Diocese of Râmnic, no. 5–6, 1949, p. 24.
- 33
Constantin Bălan, op. cit., p. 786.
- 34
Ibid., p. 787.
- 35a35b
Ibid.
- 36
Ion. I. Șucu, op. cit., doc. 875, p. 185; Corneliu Tamaș, P. Bardașu, S. Purece, The Prefecture of Vâlcea County, Bucharest, 1977, doc. 856, p. 125.
- 37
Ion. I. Șucu, op. cit., doc. 856, p. 185; C. Tamaș, doc. 1064, p. 156; doc. 1563, p. 232.
- 38
Ibid., doc. 945, p. 74; doc. 1294, p. 225; doc. 713, p. 134; doc. 1667, p. 282.
- 39
Constantin Mateescu, Memoria Rîmnicului, Sport Turism Publishing House, Bucharest, 1979, p. 126. Cited in: Ion Slavici, George Mandrea, ‘National Monuments – Reports from the Commissions Set Up to Investigate Them’ (Part I and Part II), Bucharest, State Printing Office, 1881, p. 332.
- 40
Alexandru Odobescu, Travel Notes, Sport Turism Publishing House, Bucharest, 1981, p. 74.
- 41
Ion Donat, op. cit., p. 14. Presumably, the earthquake of 3 October 1880.
- 42
In 1931, it became a parish.
- 43
Nicolae Angelescu, Walks and Short Trips in Râmnicu Vâlcei, Râmnicu Vâlcea, Bibliostar Publishing, 2014, p. 152.
- 44
Constantin Daniilescu, ‘The inscriptions of the church in the hamlet of Arhanghel in R-Vîlcii’, in Naționalul Vâlcii, no. 81–82, 1934, p. 81.
- 45
Yearbook for the year 1909, Church Books Printing House, Bucharest, 1909, p. 152.
- 46
Vartolomeu Stănescu, Yearbook of the Diocese of Râmnic – Noul Severin for the years 1921–1925, Tipografiile Române Unite, Bucharest, 1925, p. 496.