# Negru Vodă Monastery

[Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Muntenia](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/muntenia) › [Argeș County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/arges) › [Câmpulung](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/city/campulung)

> The ensemble on the site of the old princely court of Câmpulung, with the 1647 bell tower, the 1364 tombstone of Prince Nicolae Alexandru and Matei Basarab's Princely House.

**At a glance:** Monasteries in Câmpulung, Argeș County. The visit takes 45 min. Information verified on 2 November 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** The church art collection in the Princely House can be visited on request. During the restoration (a 40-month project from August 2026), access to the infirmary church and the cells may be restricted.
- **Visit duration:** 45 min — courtyard, church and tower
- **With kids:** Yes — quiet courtyard, modest dress
- **Best season:** All year round — feast day on 15 August
- **Address:** Strada Negru Vodă 64, Câmpulung, Argeș County
- **Coordinates:** 45.26381, 25.04031
- **Wikipedia:** https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C4%83n%C4%83stirea_Negru_Vod%C4%83
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q12736249
- **Categories:** [Monasteries](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/monasteries), [Monuments and historic sites](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/monuments-and-historic-sites)

## About Negru Vodă Monastery

Negru Vodă Monastery stands on the site of the old princely court of Câmpulung, one of the first centres of Wallachia. Tradition, also preserved in an inscription placed by Matei Basarab, links the foundation to Radu Negru, the semi-legendary prince from the country's beginnings, and dates it to 1215. Historians attribute it to Basarab I and his son, Nicolae Alexandru, in the first half of the 14th century. Basarab I died in Câmpulung in 1352 and, according to tradition, was buried here.

The princely church of the Dormition of the Mother of God was brought down by the 1628 earthquake and rebuilt by Matei Basarab in 1635–1636; after the 1802 earthquake it was rebuilt from the ground up and consecrated in 1832. Inside is the tombstone of Nicolae Alexandru Basarab, who died on 16 November 1364, with a Slavonic inscription: the oldest surviving funerary slab of a ruler of Wallachia. Since 2013 the monastery has also held the relics of Saint Ioanichie the New of Muscel.

### What you can see

The bell tower at the entrance, built in 1647 by Matei Basarab, is around 35 m tall with a base of about 10 m. In the courtyard are the princely church, with its west front of stone blocks and the inscription above the door, the Princely House of 1650, with arches and an outside staircase, the abbot's house, the monks' cells with a porch on wooden posts, and the infirmary church of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, rebuilt in masonry in 1718. The Princely House holds the monastery's collection of church art, with liturgical treasures and more than 2,000 old books. In the 1640s Matei Basarab also had a printing press next to the monastery.

### Good to know

In August 2026 the monastery signed a 40-month project to restore the infirmary church, the precinct wall and the cells, so there may be work areas in the courtyard.

## Don't miss

- The tombstone of Nicolae Alexandru Basarab, from 1364, with its Slavonic inscription, in the princely church.
- Matei Basarab's bell tower, from 1647, about 35 m tall, right at the entrance to the precinct.
- The 1650 Princely House, with its stone arches and outside staircase, home to the monastery's collection.
- The church's west front of stone blocks, with the inscription above the door.
- The infirmary church of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, from 1718, with its octagonal tower.

## Good to know before you go

### Getting there

**By car:** the monastery is on Strada Negru Vodă, the town section of the DN73, in the south of Câmpulung, ~1.2 km from the town hall. From Pitești it is ~52 km on the DN73 (~1 hour 20 min); from Bucharest ~166 km on the A1 to Pitești and then on the DN73 (~2½ hours); from Brașov ~85 km on the DN73, through Bran and Rucăr (~1¾ hours). Jidova Roman Fort is ~5.5 km to the south, on the same road.

### Rules

Modest dress: shoulders and knees covered, women with their heads covered in church. Keep quiet within the precinct and put phones on silent during services. Do not take photos in the church without the staff's permission. Keep out of the restoration work areas.

## Details

- **Construction period:** 14th–19th centuries
- **Founder:** Basarab I, Matei Basarab
- **Dedication:** Dormition of the Mother of God
- **Denomination:** Orthodox
- **Historical period:** Middle Ages

## Frequently asked questions about Negru Vodă Monastery

**How long does a visit to Negru Vodă Monastery take?**

A visit to Negru Vodă Monastery takes about 45 min (courtyard, church and tower).

**Can you visit Negru Vodă Monastery with kids?**

Yes, Negru Vodă Monastery is suitable for children (quiet courtyard, modest dress).

**How do I get to Negru Vodă Monastery?**

Negru Vodă Monastery is located at Strada Negru Vodă 64, Câmpulung, Argeș County. More under “Getting there”.

**When is the best time to visit Negru Vodă Monastery?**

The best season for Negru Vodă Monastery: All year round (feast day on 15 August).

## Nearby attractions

- [Jidava Roman Fort (Jidova)](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/jidava-roman-fort) — Monuments and historic sites · Câmpulung, AG · 20 lei · ½ – 1 hours · UNESCO World Heritage · 7 km
  The Jidova or Jidava fort, at the entrance to Câmpulung, the only stone fort on the Limes Transalutanus, with walls, rebuilt towers, a hypocaust and a site museum; part of the UNESCO site of the Roman frontier in Dacia.
- [Mateiaș Mausoleum](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/mateias-mausoleum) — Monuments and historic sites · Valea Mare-Pravăț, AG · 11 lei · 45 min · 11 km
  The First World War heroes' mausoleum on Mateiaș Hill, built between 1928 and 1935 beside the DN73 on the site of the autumn 1916 fighting, with an ossuary, a bas-relief and two museum rooms.
- [Saint George Wooden Church in Dragoslavele](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/saint-george-wooden-church-in-dragoslavele) — Churches · Dragoslavele, AG · 45 min · 17 km
  A wooden church moved twice, with a tall bell-tower spire and folk-style painting, in the grounds of Dragoslavele Hermitage on the hill north of the village.
- [Dâmbovicioara Gorge](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/dambovicioara-gorge) — Gorges and canyons · Dâmbovicioara, AG · 45 min · 28 km
  A 2.4 km limestone gorge carved by the Dâmbovicioara stream on the southern edge of Piatra Craiului National Park, with the road from Podu Dâmboviței to Dâmbovicioara running through it.
- [Dâmbovicioara Cave](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/dambovicioara-cave) — Caves · Dâmbovicioara, AG · 30 min · 32 km
  A small, easy-to-visit cave on the Rucăr–Bran corridor, in Piatra Craiului National Park: a dry gallery carved by the Dâmbovicioara stream, with about 250 m laid out and lit.
- [Rucăr–Bran Pass](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/rucar-bran-pass) — Scenic roads · Brașov County · Free · 1 – 1½ hours · 34 km
  The pass between Piatra Craiului and the Bucegi: the DN73 climbs from Rucăr onto the Fundata plateau, over the Giuvala Pass at about 1,260 m, and descends to Bran past hamlets scattered on the ridges.

---

Full page: https://peplaiuri.ro/en/negru-voda-monastery
Other languages: Română: https://peplaiuri.ro/manastirea-negru-voda.md · Deutsch: https://peplaiuri.ro/de/kloster-negru-voda.md · Italiano: https://peplaiuri.ro/it/monastero-di-negru-voda.md · Français: https://peplaiuri.ro/fr/monastere-de-negru-voda.md · Español: https://peplaiuri.ro/es/monasterio-de-negru-voda.md · Magyar: https://peplaiuri.ro/hu/negru-voda-kolostor.md
Last updated: 2 November 2026
Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania