Mogosoaia Palace is located in the village with the same name
about 14 km northwest of Bucharest's center. The palace is one of the most beautiful 18C buildings
in Romania, a fine example of the Brancovenesc style. It was built by the Wallachian prince Constatin
Brancoveanu between 1698 and 1702 as a summer residence for his family and as a present for his son
Stefan. The palace is located in a beautiful setting, surrounded by a park and sitting by the shore of
the Mogosoaia lake which mirrors its profile. When Brancoveanu and all his sons found their death in
Istanbul in 1714 the palace turned into an inn and was afterwards damaged during the Russian-Turkish war
of 1769-1774. Towards the end of the 19C the palace passed to the Bibescu family, who were distantly related
to the Brancoveanus. Under the care of Marthe Bibescu, a cultured person devoted to Romania and its people,
the palace was restored by two architects, the Venetian Domenico Rupolo and the Romanian G.M. Cantacuzino.
In 1956 the palace was handed over to the state and turned into a museum and later it was closed when
Ceausescu took the furniture for his own use. During the 1977 earthquake the building is damaged but
repairs in 1990s made the palace fit to visit again. The palace as it looks today, has a beautiful
Venetian-style loggia on the facade facing the lake, while overlooking the main courtyard is a balcony
with carvings showing the characteristic phytomorphic motifs of Brancoveanu style. Mogosoaia museum
exhibits embroideries, icons, wooden sculptures and oil paintings, most from private donations. On the
left as you enter the complex sits the little church dedicated to St. George of the Meadow. It was built
in 1688 and decorated by a team of Greek painters. You can still see the original paintings inside the
church including a painting showing Constantin Brancoveanu with his wife, Maris, his four sons and seven
daughters, all wearing royal dress. We got to Mogosoaia by taking the Maxi Taxi (small van) #508 from
Bucharest North Station.
