Mănăstirea Strehaia

The Strehaia monastery has its origins in the 15th century, being founded by the Craiovesti boyars: Barbu Pârvu, Danciu and Radu, sons of Neagoe ban Strehăianul. It served as the residence of Bania de Strehaia until 1495, when it moved to Craiova. Over time, there were institutions such as the Diocese of Severin and Bania de Mehedinți, and Mihai Viteazu restored the manorial palace and the church between 1582-1588.

The church has an unusual peculiarity: unlike all other Orthodox places of worship, whose altar faces east, this is the only monastery in Romania whose altar faces south.

An old legend, also mentioned by Nicolae Iorga, states that Michael the Brave, born in Strehaia, would have built a first church there, built during the night, but oriented incorrectly, with the altar facing south.

Matei Basarab would have subsequently kept the same unusual orientation. However, the real explanation seems to be different: the church was connected by a corridor to the princely palace, which belonged to the Craiovești family, and this architectural connection determined the orientation of the entire edifice.

In this case this privește orientarea bisericii, au fost formulate mai multe ipoteze. Una dintre ele susține că nu exists suficient spațiu între palatul domnesc și clădirea chiliilor pentru o amplasare tradițională. O altă teorie afirmă că poziționarea avut un scop strategic: cunoscând faptul că ortodocșii construiau bisericile cu altarul orientat spre răsărit, turcii puteau folosi acest detaliu pentru orientare, astfel că „oltenii isteți” ar fi schimbat direcția bisericii pentru a-i deruta pe eventualii năvălitori. There are three explanations regarding the three astronomical criteria – the truth is that it is built as soon as possible, in the spring (December 22), at 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. altarului și trece prin Sfintele Uși să împartă interiorul în două parți symmetrice.

The current monastery was built by Matei Basarab in 1645, who rebuilt the church and transformed the Craiovești courtyard into a monastery. The church has specific architectural features of the 17th century. Constantin Brâncoveanu added the porch and rebuilt the defense wall and the royal palace in 1693.

In 1821, the monastery was occupied by Tudor Vladimirescu, and in 1848 he supported the revolution through the lessee Alex Nenciu. In 1826, the proto-monk Axinte Stănescu restored the monastery and created a new painting. The first description of the monastery dates from 1658, and a detailed description was made in 1731 by Major I.C. Weiss.

In 1863, monastic life was interrupted and the monastery's assets were secularized, and the buildings deteriorated until restoration in 1963. After 1990, monastic life was resumed, and since 2007, the monastery has been populated by nuns.

On August 9, 2021, a cenotaph was consecrated in the courtyard of the monastery, to mark 420 years since the murder of Voivode Mihai Viteazul and to honor his memory.