Manole's Fountain, Stone fountain near Curtea de Argeș Monastery, Romania.
Manole's Fountain is a stone structure with traditional Romanian architectural elements located at the base of a slope near the monastery. The construction features several water spouts and is defined by simple stonework that blends into the surrounding landscape.
The fountain was built in 1804 under Iosif, the first bishop of Argeș, and his steward Meletie. A spring inside the monastery grounds dried up in the 18th century, and a new one was found outside the walls; the bishop had it moved to this spot. The fountain is listed as a historic monument under code AG-IV-m-A-13942.
The name links the fountain to the legend of Master Manole, the architect of the Curtea de Argeș monastery, though the structure itself dates from 1804. Its Slavic-letter inscription, published by Nicolae Iorga in 1905, is a poem attributed to Bishop Iosif praising the water and asking drinkers to remember the founders.
The fountain stands across the road from Curtea de Argeș Monastery, outside the monastery walls, where the spring was moved after the old one dried up. The inscription in Slavic letters faces visitors and can be read on site. The water still flows and can be drunk.
The fountain's name links it to the Manole legend, but the structure itself dates from 1804, when it was built under Bishop Iosif of Argeș. Its inscription, in Slavonic letters, records that a spring inside the monastery dried up in the 18th century and a new one was found outside the walls, then moved to this spot. The verses are attributed to Iosif himself and were published by Nicolae Iorga in 1905.
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