The Antim Monastery, one of the most beautiful monasteries in the city, is located in Bucharest, Romania on Mitropolit Antim Ivireanu Street, no. 29.
This is quite near the Parliament Palace on Bucharests Unirii Boulevard.
The minastery was built between 1713 and 1715 by Saint Antim Ivireanu, at that time a Metropolitan Bishop of Wallachia.
The buildings were restored by Patriarch Justinian Marina in the 1960s.
As of 2005, there are seven monks living in the Monastery.
The monastery also hosts a museum with religious objects and facts about the life of Antim Ivireanu.
During the communist rule of Nicolae Ceaușescu, the government threatened demolition of the church and many other historic structures in Romania.
A project organized by engineer Eugeniu Iordăchescu moved the church to a different nearby site and saved it in time.
The monastery of the worthy martyr Metropolitan Antim Ivireanul was built in the Bucharest neighborhood, then called "Ivașco's populace", not far from the Patriarchal Cathedral.
On the feast day of the Holy Martyr Agata, that is on February 5, 1713, by divine revelation, the Holy Metropolitan Antim Ivireanu decides to build a monastery, on the place where, until then, there was an old wooden church, dedicated to Saint Hierarch Nicholas.
In order to build the monastery, Saint Antim will make all his wealth available to the workers.
Saint Antim Ivirean drew up, with his own hand, the execution plans of the monastery, two of which remain to this day, namely: the original plan of the church (on paper) and another plan (on parchment), the latter being worked in 1715, within the monastery settlement.
The consecration of the large church in the Antim Monastery took place in 1715, as we read in the beautifully carved pisaNIE, placed within the monumental portal of the entrance door.
Pisania is written in verses, in Greek, IT confesses the following:
"This church of All Saints patron,
It was done with the will of God, the nature of everyone
Under Ștefan, the one named Cantacuzino,
Brilliant master of the famous Romanian Country,
By arch-pastor Antim Ungro-Vlahul,
The one from Ivir, as seen from the foundation.
As worshipers of the saints before God,
Be like David in the Church of the Saints
In the year after salvation, 1715."
Later, Mihai Racovita, the ruler of the Romanian Country, on August 16, 1731, signs the charter that ensures the exemption from taxes and gifts of the Antim Monastery, continuing the decisions taken by the predecessors of Stefan Cantacuzino, Nicolae Voda and Ioan Voda. Ruler Grigore Ghica Voda will do the same, through the charter of December 16, 1734.
On May 31, 1738, following a great earthquake, the two original towers of the church, built of brick, collapsed, being replaced by new ones, made of wood. Between the years 1746-1747, the monastery is completely restored. Now the pediment is also decorated, gilding in some places.
During the time of the Phanariots, the Greek monks looted the wealth of the monastery, through bad management.
Thus, the wishes of the founder could no longer be fulfilled annually. Until the year 1797, the monastery of Sfantului Antim will reach a pitiful state. Due to this state of affairs, on March 22, 1797, ruler Alexandru Voda Ipsilanti passed the Antim Monastery as the archbishopric of Arges.
From 1797, a School of Priesthood functioned at the Antim Monastery, and later, after 1836, the Seminary of the Hungarian-Wallachian Metropolis also functioned here.
Between 1840-1864, the State Archives were located here.
Under the care of Bishop Iosif of Arges and Metropolitan Dosoftei, the great Monastery of All Saints is beginning to regain its former nobility. In 1812, the church towers and the roofs of all the buildings will be rebuilt.
In 1820, at the request of Bishop Hilarion of Argesului, several restoration works took place. Until 1850, the bell tower and part of the cells again fell into disrepair.
Thus, in 1860, the monastery will be repaired/restored again.
It was only in 1863, under the care of Bishop Clement of Argesului, that the restoration works were definitively finished, among which we mention: the execution of a large rose window, on the main facade of the large church; replacing the stone temple with an oak wooden temple; the original painting is replaced by another, made by the painter Petre Alexandrescu; replacing the old furniture with a new one, made in neo-renaissance style; the chapel is completely renovated, the painting of the icons in the pediment being executed by the painter Gheorghe Tatarascu; the cells are renovated; the belfry is completely restored on the outside; the roofs of all buildings are renewed; new icons and candles, odes as well as other religious objects and books are purchased.
The church is open for services, in the presence of the ruler Alexandru Ioan Cuza, in the summer of 1863. After the flood caused by the overflowing of the Dambovita, in February 1865, the repairs of the floors and the foundations of the buildings are finished in 1867, in June.
In 1910, the construction of the Palace of the Holy Synod began, placed in the extension of the north side of the cells, the works ending in 1912.
During the war of 1917, the relics of Saint Filofteia from Curtea de Arges were hidden in Antim Church.
Since then, this Romanian saint has been celebrated as the patron saint of the church.
Recent History
Between the years 1964-1966, the last great restoration, integral, of the monastery complex of Sfantului Antim took place.
The original stone temple is brought from the lapidary in the yard of the Stavropoleos Church and reassembled, adding imperial and festive mosaic icons.
The wooden pediment was sent to the Romanian Orthodox parish in London.
Starting with 1950, the monastic complex from Antim became the Patriarchal Chapel and Episcopal Residence, a happy solution to avoid its demolition.
A Museum is also now established, on the east and south sides of the cells.
In the years 1984-1986, under the pressure of the communists, who followed the construction of a street framed by blocks, the cells from the northwest corner are demolished, and the Palace of the Holy Synod is moved a few tens of meters further to the west.
On this occasion, a new restoration of the large church, affected by the earthquake of 1977, takes place.
Between 1988-1996, new cells were built on the east side and a garden between the two chapels.
On the feast of St. Antim Ivireanul, on September 27, the chapel is re-consecrated and the museum of old books, icons and other church objects is opened by His Grace Fathers Teoctist, Patriarch of Romania and Ilia II, Patriarch of Georgia (Iviria).
Architecture of the monastic ensemble
Initially, the monastery had the shape of a fortress, with the church in the center, and on the sides describing the perimeter of a square were the cells.
There was a turret in each corner. The entrance to the premises is through a gate, under the belfry.
On the southern side are the abbot's houses, continued with the chapel, towards the east, further being the cells.
The artistic achievement of the monastery represents an eloquent testimony of the abilities of Saint Antim.
The entire monastic complex (the church, the cells, the chapel, the belfry, the abbot's houses) was executed according to the plans drawn up by the great hierarch and under his direct supervision, both architecturally and pictorially.
The central church is the only one built in the 18th century, with a trefoil plan; its windows are large, with frames carved in stone; large and rich rosettes; open porch with monumental portal; the capitals and pedestals of the columns beautifully decorated with floral motifs. We thus recognize the classic Brancove style, with a slight influence of the Italian baroque.
The geometric dimensions of the church are: 30 meters long and 10 meters wide. The nave with two windows in each apse reminds of the structure of the old Serbian churches.
The pronaos has an almost square shape.
During the 1863 restoration, the pulpit and the pulpit were added, made of oak wood, the same sculptural model as the pews, by Karl Storck, in 1861.
Above the entrance door, under the writing, is the carved decoration of the emblem of Saint Antim, the snail, a symbol of faith and humility, framed by a wreath of laurels and having a star in the upper part.
The first key of the church door had the same snail shape, the forge of the frog being, since 1955, in the National Museum of Romania.
Sculpted by Saint Antim himself, the massive oak door at the entrance to the church, surpassing in beauty all artistic achievements of the same kind, from his time, acquires the radiance of a spiritual mystery:
"We can enter the church only through the work of the Shepherd (the door), which has faith and humility (the snail) as an unlocker (key)."
Tradition mentions that all the stone sculptures of the temple, the feet of the columns and the frames, as well as the painting in the large church and in the chapel, were executed according to the sketches of the founding metropolitan, who painted several icons on the fresco walls, together with Preda Zugravul.
Of course, the two big icons, next to the pediment, were also painted by Saint Antim: the Icon of All Saints and the Icon of Saints Alexie, Nicolae, Antim and Agahta.
