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Master Manole's Fountain |
Curtea de Arges Monastery |
The Legend of Master Manole
The
Legend of Master Manole: Negru Voda wanted to build the most beautiful monastery in
the country so he hired Master Manole, the best mason of those times, along with
his 9 men. Because the walls of the monastery were always crumbling, the prince
threatened him and his assistants with death. Manole had a dream in which he was
told that, in order to build the most beautiful monastery, he had to wall in
someone very beloved by him or by his masons.
He told his masons about it and they agreed that
the first wife who came there on the following morning should be the victim.
Manole`s wife, Ana, came first and she was told that
they wanted to play a little game, building walls around her. She accepted and soon realized that it wasn`t a game
and implored Manole to let her go, but he kept his promise. Thus the beautiful
monastery was built. When Manole and his masons told the prince that they could
always build an even greater building, Radu Negru had them stranded on the roof
so that they could not build something to match it. They fashioned wooden wings
and tried to fly off the roof, but, one by one, they all fell to the ground. A
spring of clear water, called after Manole, is said mark the spot where Manole
fell.
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