Biserica Curtea Veche (Old Court Church), Bucharest

Old Court Church is the oldest church in Bucharest, founded by Mircea Ciobanul, during his first reign, between 1545-1554. The building served for two centuries as a place of coronation of the lords of Wallachia. The church is dedicated to the Annunciation and Saint Anthony.

The Serbian-style trefoil building was influenced by the church of the Cozia monastery. The narthex has an almost square shape, with large windows on the N and S facades, being covered with a cylindrical vault. The nave supports by arch the tower placed on a circular drum inside and with 12 sides outside. The tower is vaulted with a spherical cap. The passage between the narthex and the nave is made under a double arch. The altar has two flanking apses, the proscomidia and the diaconicon.

For the construction of the church, the buttress with a constructive role was used for the first time in Wallachia, under Moldovan influence. The façade is made of exposed brick in 3 horizontal rows and two bricks placed vertically on the plastered strips. At the top, under the cornice, a row of exposed brick windows. The cornice is made of saw-shaped bricks. The base is made of concave bricks placed on the edge. The entrance frame dates from 1715.