GFE Stumpes: Mogoșoaia Palace and Snagov Monastery (3/28/2026)

Saturday, March 28, 2026 (continued)

For once we chose an optional excursion: Snagov Monastery & Mogoșoaia Palace: Romania's Houses of Retreat.

The motor coach drove past the Arcul de Triumf/
Arch of Triumph (1935, by Petre Antonescu) that honors the
heroes of the War of Independence and World War I

We also passed Monumentul Aripi/Wings Monument
(2016, by Mihai Buculei) that is dedicated to those
who fought for freedom in Romania throughout
the almost 45 years of communist regime

Before building a palace, first a church is built:
Biserica Sfântul Gheorghe/Church of St George (1688-1902)
was commissioned by Constantin Brâncoveanu

Palatul Mogoșoaia/Mogoșoaia Palace (1698-1702) for
Constantin Brâncoveanu, Prince of Wallachia, who
lived here with his family until they were executed by
the Ottomans in 1714; its façade is dominated by
traditional staircase balconies, columns with capitals, and
arcades that have come to be known as the Brâncovanesc
style or Romanian Renaissance style

We first visited the former cuhnia/kitchen...

...that is noted for architectural elements
designed for ventilation

The kitchen space was being used for an exhibit
featuring Romanian fotbal/soccer

The Guest House or Villa d'Elchingen (1870, commissioned
by Nicolae Bibescu) that later housed writers while
Martha Bibescu, a writer herself, owned the palace and was
also responsible for renovating the entire property in the 1920s

A Venetian-style loggia (an open-sided
upper-floor balcony features ornate, slender
columns and intricate floral carvings)
is a feature of the Brâncovenesc style

Mogoșoaia Palace is now the Muzeul de
Artă Brâncovenească/Museum of Brâncovenesc
Art with the sculpture Maternitate/Motherhood
(2021, by Virgil Scripcariu) that depicts
St George as a baby

The Ice House would be filled with blocks of ice
cut from Lacul Mogoșoaia/Lake Mogoșoaia

Lake Mogoșoaia behind the palace (KSS)

The western loggia with stone carvings of
flowers, birds, and dolphins

More of the western façade overlooking the garden

This must look fantastic when all the iris bloom! (KSS)

A sculpture left from Pădure de Porțelan/
Porcelain Forest (2007, by Daniela Făiniș) (KSS)

These carvings feature the double-headed eagle that was
supposedly part of Martha Bibescu's family coat of arms;
however, the Lahovary coat of arms has two regular eagles

19C fabric from India made of flax, wool
and silk; the Museum of Brâncovenesc Art
was exhibiting a collection donated by
the family of Liana & Dan Nasta

Notice the visitors are wearing shoe covers
to protect the flooring

The color is better in the photo above; much of the
foyer floor was covered with tiny tiles of gold foil
sandwiched between glass

Vintage gramophone (KSS)

Romanian aviator uniform of George Bibescu,
the husband of Martha Bibescu (KSS)

Spiral stairway

Carved and painted door

Cycle Ecce Homo: La flagellation de Jesus
(17C engraving by Albrecht Dürer)

A tapestry depicting Constantin Brâncoveanu and his
family; he stands to the left with his four sons, and his
wife stands to the right with the seven daughters

Prince Constantin was told that if he and his sons wanted to escape death, they had to convert to Islam and pay a large sum of money. Constantin didn’t have the money required by the Ottoman Turks, and did not wish to convert to the Muslim faith. Since neither torture nor threats induced the prisoners to forsake Christ, the Turks sentenced them to death. Before his own execution, Constantin was forced to watch the beheadings of his sons. His wife and daughters were forced to view the execution, then they were imprisoned and later exiled.

Prince George Valentin Bibescu
(2020, by Kateryna Rudakova)

Princess Martha Bibescu
(2019, by Kateryna Rudakova)

Fireplace

18C wedding dress

After another 45 minutes or so in the motor coach, we arrived near Mănăstirea Snagov/Snagov Monastery (est 1408).

The monastery is located on an island on Lacul Snagov/
Lake Snagov, which was reached by a pedestrian bridge

New monastery buildings

Entrance gate as part of the fortifications
(c 1456) built on order of Vlad III
(the Impaler, but as Prince of Wallachia)
in addition to a prison for traitors (KSS)

Mircea cel Bătrân/Mircea the Elder was a
Wallachian Prince who founded the monastery

Vlad Țepeș/the Impaler

Goats, and what's that? An emu?

Monastery Church (1521, in Byzantine
style with Romanian elements) (KSS)

No photos were allowed inside the church, which contains a tomb for Vlad III aka Vlad

Țepeș. Although Vlad III requested to be buried here, there is no evidence that he actually was laid to rest in Snagov. Now historians are saying he may have been buried at Comana Monastery, which a) was founded by Vlad II; b) is closer to the battlefield where he was killed and beheaded, and c) supposedly a headless body was found there. It is believed that the Ottomans took his head to be displayed in Constantinople.