We are situated on the edge of Europe, bordering other continents, and for centuries we have also been on the fringes of Christendom; for half a millennium, the Danube served as a boundary, as beyond it Islam reigned through the might of the Ottoman Empire, whilst the Christian faith enjoyed, at best, tolerance. The Romanian Principalities withstood the extraordinary military pressure of the sultans on the battlefield for a long time, until isolation and, above all, the imbalance of power forced them to find another way of life and survival. A compromise was reached, which nevertheless demonstrated that they still posed a threat to the invaders and that, as far as they were concerned, it had been agreed that a different regime should apply to them from that imposed on the other states in the region.
The Romanian states were preserved, as was the existing political structure. The Danube continued to serve as a boundary against the expansion of Islam; to the north of it, Orthodox places of worship were permitted, and the construction of mosques was not allowed. The people of Wallachia and Moldavia continued to demonstrate their devotion to the Faith, safeguarding their places of worship and erecting new ones. Moreover, princes and boyars were supporters and patrons of Orthodox patriarchates directly subject to Ottoman rule, aiding them and erecting places of worship on their own territory.
Ottoman rule, even when exercised only partially over the Romanian states, was far from being an easy one; compromises were often not honoured, but ultimately a suitable way was found to defend their interests and to ensure that agreements were honoured. In any case, the princes were maintained as the ruling class, without being forced to convert to Islam, and no mosques were built in the Principalities. The Christian faith was preserved, and the Romanian principalities were able to develop a genuine policy for the defence and propagation of Orthodoxy, both religiously and culturally, serving as a pillar of support for believers directly subject to the sultans’ authority.
The places of worship erected throughout Wallachia and Moldavia stand as living proof of the strength of the Romanians’ faith, but also of the extent to which the ruling class—and especially the princes—understood how to express their convictions and their desire to demonstrate to their contemporaries, as well as to their descendants, the strength they possessed in defending their spirituality. The generosity shown by the princes towards Orthodox Christians directly subject to the Ottomans, towards their places of worship and towards their patriarchates was also an integral part of this unwavering Faith. The significance of the church books printed throughout the territories inhabited by Romanians was by no means small, ensuring the unity of the language; but equally significant was the support provided, especially by Saint Constantine Brâncoveanu, for the printing of texts in the languages spoken by the Orthodox Christian community, thereby helping Christians lacking the means to acquire the books intended to sustain their Faith.
The monuments erected by these rulers remain to this day living proof of their devotion and loyalty to the Church of their forefathers. They also serve as concrete evidence of the place the Faith occupied in the lives of these founding rulers, as well as enduring testimonies to the level of civilisation they possessed. Hundreds of years have passed over some of them, yet they have endured, still standing tall today and reminding us of times of trial.
How imposing is the Princely Church in Curtea de Argeș, how well-balanced and beautiful it is; and it is no coincidence that there, almost two centuries later, the devout Prince Neagoe Basarab founded the Episcopal Church, today the final resting place of our kings.
The string of places of worship in northern Moldavia, many of them built by Saint Stephen the Great, are a delight to behold, but above all they highlight the strength of faith of those who erected them.
Churches and monasteries, many centuries old or built on sites with a millennia-long history, reveal through their very presence, but above all – in some cases – through the beauty and elegance of their architecture, that their construction was founded on dedication and hard work, often arduous, but above all on an unwavering Faith.