Curtea de Argeș Monastery

You're standing at the Cathedral of Curtea de Argeș, on the grounds of the monastery. Take in the whole thing first. It looks like a huge, lavishly decorated mausoleum. The church sits on a raised platform about two metres high, ringed by a stone balustrade. The walls are faced with pale grey limestone. It was soft enough to carve in fine detail, and then hardened once it was exposed to the air.