The New Cathedral (Catedrala Nouă) is a Romanian Orthodox church and royal burial place within Curtea de Argeș Monastery, built between 2009 and 2018. Dedicated to Saint Philothea and the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel, it serves as the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Argeș and Muscel and houses the newer tombs of Romania’s royal family. Its construction extended the monastery’s centuries-old religious and funerary history beyond the historic cathedral founded by Neagoe Basarab.
The project was initiated by Archbishop Calinic in cooperation with the Romanian Royal Family, whose members had long used the monastery as their dynastic burial place. By the beginning of the 21st century, the historic cathedral contained the tombs of Romania’s first two royal couples but had no suitable space for further burials. The new church was therefore designed to provide both a larger setting for religious services and a permanent resting place for subsequent members of the dynasty. Its foundation stone was laid on May 10, 2009, in a ceremony attended by representatives of the Royal Family and the archdiocese. The cathedral’s altar was consecrated on December 7, 2018, the feast day of Saint Philothea.
Architect Augustin Ioan designed the cathedral in a Byzantine-inspired style, drawing particularly on the architecture of the Princely Church of Saint Nicholas in Curtea de Argeș. Its red-brick exterior, stone details, and domes were intended to harmonize with the nearby Episcopal Palace and historic monastery church. The new building was deliberately kept lower than Neagoe Basarab’s cathedral, preserving the older church’s dominance within the grounds. Inside, a central dome provides natural light over the main worship space, while the entrance area incorporates the royal necropolis.
The burial places are arranged in pairs beneath vaulted recesses around a curved interior gallery, with space provided for members of the Romanian Royal Family and the archbishops of Argeș and Muscel. King Carol II was transferred here from his earlier burial place in the monastery grounds, followed by Queen Anne in 2016 and King Michael I in 2017. The remains of Queen Mother Elena were brought from Switzerland in 2019, while Prince Regent Nicolae and his wife Ioana were reinterred here in 2024. The cathedral also contains the tomb of Prince Mircea, the youngest son of King Ferdinand I and Queen Marie, who died in childhood in 1916. The royal tombs form a distinct memorial space within the church, continuing the burial tradition established in the Old Cathedral.
The cathedral also houses the relics of Saint Philothea, a young Orthodox martyr whose veneration has been part of the religious life of Curtea de Argeș since the late 14th century. After being kept in several churches over the centuries, the relics were placed in the chapel of the Episcopal Palace in 1949, where they attracted generations of pilgrims. They were transferred to the new cathedral during its consecration celebrations in December 2018. The reliquary is housed within the church, making the cathedral an important destination for Orthodox pilgrims, particularly during the saint’s feast on December 7.
