The Mihai Vodă Monastery (Mănăstirea Mihai Vodă) is an orthodox church and monastery, and one of the oldest buildings in central Bucharest. The church is named after its founder, the Wallachian Prince Michael (Mihai Vodă), better known as Michael the Brave (Mihai Viteazul).
According to a legend, Michael the Brave was arrested by the leader Alexander the Bad (Alexandru cel Rău) on suspicion of conspiring against the leadership of the country. On the way to his execution in Saint Antony Square, he was taken past the Albă Postăvari Church next to Spirea’s Hill, where he was allowed to attend the mass. He bowed to the icon of Saint Nicholas and promised to build a monastery if he managed to escape his death penalty. There are several versions of how he managed to escape, which include paying a ransom, scaring away his executioner, and being released under the pressure of the protesting community, but once he got free he was determined to deliver on his promise.
The Mihai Vodă Monastery was built in 1591 and fortified with a surrounding stone wall. In a document from 1813 it was described as “one of the largest monasteries of Romania”. Over time the monastery has also served as a military hospital, a medical school, and a residence of country leaders. Until 1959 it also housed the State Archives.
During the Communist era, a prestigious redevelopment program for the city was set up, which included the construction of the Palace of the Parliament. The plan required the demolition of many existing buildings around Spirea’s Hill, but the Mihai Vodă Monastery was one of only a few religious buildings that were deemed too valuable and hence it was decided to move it instead.
The monastery was originally located on a hill on the location of the current Izvor Park. In 1985 the church and bell tower were set up on a rails and moved over a distance of 290 meters to their current location. This is why the monastery is now hidden away behind the large buildings on Liberty Boulevard and Independence Quay.
There’s also a statue of Mihai Voda on the back of a horse on University Square.
