Religion, space and social status: monastery founders in the Curvature Carpathians, Romania

Abstract

The area of the Curvature Carpathians was one of the three largest monastic centres in the mediaeval Romanian countries, and the only one which had concentrated around a previous vast network of rock - hewn churches. The themes of an early Christian origin a nd that of individual histories have been central to the scholarly investigation of the monasteries, while overview studies generally avoided exploring them in relation to their founders. Yet, the act of founding bore a symbolic meaning and one’s capacity as founder was something of great importance, both social and spiritually. Drawing on a historical - geographical approach, this paper will try to analyse the spatial distribution of the monasteries according to their founders’ social status and offer an int erpretation of how this social status and religious traditions have contributed to the emergence and growth of the monasteries and monastic life.