The Brâncovenesc style, also known as Wallachian Renaissance and Romanian Renaissance, is an art and architectural style that evolved during the administration of Prince Constantin Brâncoveanu in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Brâncoveanu was an administrator of the Principality of Wallachia (between 1688 and 1714) under Ottoman Empire overlords, an extremely wealthy aristocrat, and a builder of fine palaces and churches.
Description
The design style developed in Wallachia, in present day southern Romania. Brâncovenesc style is synthesis between the Byzantine, Ottoman, late Renaissance, and Baroque architecture. It was also a unique hybrid of Romanian Orthodox Christian ediface styles working with the dominant Islamic architecture of the Ottoman Empire, of which the Principality of Wallachia was then, as a vassal state, an integral part. The most accomplished and the best preserved example of Brâncovenesc style architecture is Hurezi monastery, inscribed by UNESCO on its list of World Heritage Sites, where Brâncoveanu intended to have his tomb.
Neo-Brâncovenesc
The Brâncovenesc style inspired architect Ion Mincu and others to initiate the Neo-Brâncovenesc/Neo-Romanian architectural style in the latter 19th century.
Historical and Cultural Background
The movement of the 17th century Moldavian movement, influenced by Polish by European humanism , is one of the premises for the appearance of the Brâncoveanu style, characterized by the reception of the Western Baroque and unitary artistic programs. The bases of bloom in the Brâncoveanu era were made during the two decades of the reign of Matei Basarab (1632-1654), which assured Wallachia a certain political stability and favored the development of the arts . Among the most important buildings of Matei Basarab’s age are the Arnota monastery church (1633), the Crasna-Gorj Hermitage church (1636), the Topolnita-Mehedinti Hermitage (1646), as well as the monastery complexes of Căldăruşani (1638) and Brebu 1640-1650), the founders who continue the evolution of the Montenegrin architecture by taking over Moldovan Gothic forms , without exceeding a provincial horizon . A exception from a qualitative and programmatic point of view is the stone house of the scholar Udrişte Năsturel from Herăşti (Ilfov County), who performs in oriental style elements of the Italian Renaissance .
During the period that followed, the boyar mansions architecture was developed. This evolution corresponded to the accumulation of power in the hands of the great boyars in the third quarter of the seventeenth century, to the detriment of the descendants of Matei Basarab. Constables such as Dobreni , Mironeşti from Gostinari (Ilfov County) , Goleşti (Argeş County), Filipesti (8) , Magureni (Prahova County) or Bajeşti , designed according to the model of the Princely Residences of Constantinople , will create a paradigm of the representative Wallachian edifice, characterized by both high quality materials and workmanship and by the picturesque location in the middle of some parks and near the rivers and ponds. The latter feature will influence the further development of arches and porches as elements of openness to nature . The rest of the civilian edifices of the times are unfortunately very little known. The houses of Magureni , built between 1666 and 1667 by Paunus, the wife of the backrest Drăghici Cantacuzino , reveal that even smaller architecture was based on the model given by the royal residences. The houses were very neatly finished, decorated with levantine stucco, and had inspirational Italian loggias. These western elements have probably penetrated Transylvania into Wallachia . Both the eastern and the northeastern elements were welcomed by numerous trips, through which the Walachian boyar had discovered near the Near East , Greece and the Balkan Peninsula , especially Italy . The most telling example for this opening is that of the great scholar Constantin Cantacuzino , formed in the schools of Constantinople and Padua , who had come to play a central role in the politics of Wallachia in the last quarter of the 17th century. That troubled period, characterized by the rise of the Cantacuzins and other boyar families, facilitated the spreading of the humanist ideal in culture, promoted precisely by these “new men.” Political elites are more interested in western art and are also discovered by Italian and Flemish portrayers. Specialist portraitists had already dedicated to Mihai Viteazul several European portraits as principe of European rank, starting with the reign of Matei Basarab, the majority of Romanian gentlemen are represented by Western artists in the typical posture of early Baroque monarchs with oriental elements in clothing . Thus he represents Constantin Brâncoveanu the Veronese Alessandro dalla Via , active in Venice . At the time of Matei Basarab, the first historical themes in painting had appeared in Wallachia, and now more attention is paid in Romanian art to the representation of the human figure. At the same time there is a re-evaluation of the artist’s status, the native craftsmen go out for the first time from anonymity.
fter the climb of the Cantacuzino family line, the representative building continued to be the palace. The rulers Şerban Cantacuzino and Constantin Brâncoveanu also noted numerous religious and monastic foundations. Initially, the sacral architecture was modeled on the church of the Dealu Monastery , having the triconc plan and the decorative facade system with arches. Already that edifice from the beginning of the 16th century denotes the predilection for elaned silhouettes that will then characterize the Brancovan art. The more refined taste of the era led to the gradual replacement of the massive brick pillars with elegant stone colonnades. During the reign of Brâncoveanu the construction activity intensified. The patron saint of the ruler was not limited to Wallachia, his taxes were also destined for St. Catherine’s Monastery on Mount Sinai , to churches in Jerusalem , Lebanon , Epirus and monasteries on Mount Athos . The first mobile lettering from the Caucasus comes from Wallachia through the intercession of Antim Ivireanul . The illustrious voivode is in correspondence with Louis XIV , Peter the Great , Pope Clement XI and the emperors of Vienna Leopold I , Joseph I and Carol VI. From 1695 Brâncoveanu bears the title of prince of the Holy Roman Empire of German Nation with his own armor, dignity confirmed in 1706 , and is immortalized in 1713 in gold and silver medallions with Latin inscriptions as an independent sovereign, an attitude that will scandalize the High Porte I contribute a year later at the end of Brâncoveanu . The inscription “Dei Gratia Sacri Romani Imperii and Valachiae Transalpinae Princeps” on a bell of Gura Motru Monastery confirms the pride of the ruler for this European rank.
Architecture
Brâncoveanu style is distinguished by the expressiveness of the architectural volumes of the outer stairs, of the arbors or loggias, which variegately vary the appearance of the facades. The traditional decoration system is still applied, but the rich ornamentation of the ancadraments, columns and railings betrays the baroque influence of the vegetal motifs. Proportions become slimmer and more harmonious, they show a more careful elaboration of the plans. Both the decor and the free spaces, structured by columns, deny the massiveness of the architectural forms; the open porch is for example a representative building element. Shaping is usually done in semi-cylindrical or semisferic dome. The decoration can be carved from stone or applied as stucco reliefs. The floral motifs predominate in the stone decoration; oriental ornaments are often found in stucco.
Palates
The palaces were built in the Brâncoveanu era, especially in the vicinity of water blades, within rectangular enclosures. The gate and household annexes are generally situated on the opposite side of the residence, which is organized on two levels, above high-rise cellars. The base of the buildings usually includes the ground floor. The palaces have a gazebo on the side of the courtyard with a ladder on the side of the lake. Equipped with water additions, bathrooms and toilets, domicile residences provided comfort never before seen.
Summer Residence of Prince Constantin Brâncoveanu in Potlogi (1698)
Mogosoaia Palace (1702) in Bucharest , restored and modified by Martha Bibescu
Old Metropolitan Palace (1654 – 1708), in Bucharest
Churches
The exterior of the places of worship corresponds to the rich decoration of the interior icons , daintily embellished with reliefs.
The Cathedral of the Patriarchate in Bucharest (1655-1685) represents the stage preceding the Brâncoveanu style during the reign of Şerban Cantacuzino .
Church of the former Assumption of the Virgin Mary (1691 – 1697) in Râmnicu Sărat
The Assumption Church in Bordeşti , Vrancea County (1698 – 1699)
The Church of St. George New (1698 – 1707) in Bucharest
Fundeni Doamnei Church (1699) in Bucharest
Church of the former monastery in Baia de Aramă (1699)
Vadeni Church (1700) in Targu Jiu
Colţea Church (1702) in Bucharest
The Church of the Antim Monastery (1713 – 1715) in Bucharest
The Stavropoleos Church (1724 – 1730) in Bucharest
Monasteries
The Horezu and Văcăreşti monasteries, typical of the Brâncoveanu ensembles, are oriented on the east-west axis.
The Cotroceni Monastery (1679), Bucharest , demolished in 1985 .
Sinaia Monastery (1690 – 1695)
Horezu Monastery (1690 – 1702), one of the most ambitious projects of the Brâncoveanu era. Through its imposing dimensions and especially through the unitary concept, this project is revolutionary for the ancient Romanian arts. The whole complex is subordinated to the principles of symmetry typical of the Italian revival , denoted both by the organization of the architectural volumes on the east-west main axis and by the balanced proportions of the architectural detail. Even in the center of the enclosure the silhouette of the church, which is planimetric and spatial based on the model given by the Episcopal Church of the Court of Arges , rises. The craftsmen who contributed to the church décor are immortalized in a votive painting in the porch of the cult, they leave the medieval anonymity.
Berca Monastery (1694)
Mamu Monastery (1696)
Monastery of Govora (1701 – 1702)
Surpatele Monastery (1706)
Antim Monastery (1713 – 1715), Bucharest
Văcăreşti Monastery (1716 – 1722), Bucharest , demolished between 1984 and 1986 .
Painting
In the painting of the epoch, for the first time lay secular subjects, the portrait, for example, represented in series in vast votive galleries, or historical compositions such as Brâncoveanu’s Trip to Constantinople in Mogosoaia Palace , while the traditional religious subjects are enriched by new iconographic themes, taken over by the spread of written culture from apocryphal writings and patristic literature. Nine is the tendency towards a narrative style, despite the monumental-representative character of the paintings. This was the first time felt in the Moldavian painting at Sucevita . The decorative elements that abound in the monumental ornamentation also meet in the environment of painting. The main school of Brâncoveanu painting is the one from Hurezi Monastery , the most important representatives of the style are Pârvu Mutu and the painter Constantinos .
The strongest influence that enriches the post-Byzantine tradition of the epoch is exerted by the so-called Italian-Cretan School. The iconographic themes are also influenced by the Western painting.
The masterpieces of the Brancoven style in painting are:
The decoration of the lady church in Bucharest (1688 – 1689 , executed by the Greek painter Constantinos in collaboration with John)
The murals of the Hurezi Monastery (1692 – 1694) represent the masterpiece of the Brâncoveanu painting. Although it is possible to distinguish both the documentary and the stylistically several hands that have contributed to the whole, the whole decor is subordinated to a unitary concept. The main masterpiece was Constantinos .
The votive painting of the Cantacuzino family executed by Pârvu Mutu at the Woods of Philippi (1692).
Sculpture
Sculpture is, as in the medieval period subordinated to architecture, to which it binds organically. The decorative-monumental sculpture covers the door and window frames as well as the columns. It is subjected to a strong Baroque influence, which leads to the dominance of the compound vegetal motifs. However, the elements of the Western Baroque are organically integrated into native art, the eccentric dynamism that characterizes the art of the counter-reform is lacking, for example. In the Brâncoveanu era the first anthropomorphic motifs appeared, for example in the ornamental bas-relief of the Bucharest Churches Fundenii Doamnei (1699), Coltea (1700) and Stavropoleos (1724 – 1730) or in the church of the former Berca monastery and the church of the former Vacaresti monastery . During the eighteenth century monumental sculpture of Brâncoveanu tradition has undergone a continuous process of bastardization, evidently in the decoration of the churches of Bradesti, Dolj , and Baia de Fier , or of the church of the Balamuci Schit .
Baroque influence also manifests itself in the décor that is growing ever more abundantly on the edges of the funeral stones. These are often highlighted by family figurines, the inscription being usually placed in a central register, such as the funerary stones of Iordache and Matei Cantacuzino at Cotroceni , Bălaşei Cantacuzino and Patriarch Dionisie (both in Târgovişte).
Wood sculpture is dominated by the floral ornament, to be noted at the doors of the Horezu monastery church and those of the Stavropoleos Church in Bucharest. In the case of iconostases , phytomorphic motifs, sometimes with animal figures, are common, but the representation of Jesse is also met.
Decorative arts
The decorative arts flourish in the Brâncoveanu era. The achievements in silver, sculptured wood and embroidery are especially important.
Source From Wikipedia