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DEFormed from the Royal House, the wall of the premises, the bell tower and the Brebu Monastery, the complex, built by Matei Basarab, was declared an architectural monument. The works began with the construction of the Princely House and the defensive wall, built up until 1641. At the same time, the church was erected and its construction will end in 1690 during Constantin Brancoveanu's reign. The complex is surrounded by thick defense walls, equipped with crenellations and guard posts. The 6.5 m tall walls are almost intact and are made of apparent brick and stone. So did the entrance tower.
At the entrance to the courtyard of the monastery, you pass under the bell tower, which is inserted into the enclosure wall. This bell tower had a defense role in the past, has a height of 27 m and a base width of 8.50 m. With all its massiveness, the bell has a pleasant appearance due to the rich and varied ornamentation. The walls have a thickness of 0.9 m, they are made of burnt brick and river boulders.
Brebu Monastery, the foundation of Matei Basarab is an architectural monument of remarkable originality. The three pisans (two in the narthex and one in the altar) sum up a part of the building's history. The earthquakes of 1790 and 1802 produced significant damage, and repairs in the 19th century have changed the initial appearance of the church. During the restoration from 1955 to 1960, the church regained its original appearance.
The church has 2m wide walls at the foundation and rich ornamentation. Its roof is shingle, and the windows of the tower are narrow and tall. Inside, the original painting was repainted in tempera by the painter Toma Eliadi in the years 1837-1843.
The royal house was built alongside the monastery. The construction is of great size (11.8 x 30.2m), it has the appearance of a large peasant house, with a verandah and turret, with pillars of walls and large arches. It has two levels: the high ground floor comprises of rooms with different destinations, inhabited by the lord during the summer: the working room of the ruler and the secretary, the bedroom, the reception room and the courtyard where the judgments took place. Each room had a separate outlet in the verandah. The second level is the cellar stretched out under the whole house, with central pillars and supporting arches. Access to the cellar is through a double oak gate, hidden under a large archway, and through a vaulted narrow entrance, under the turret.
The four-floored roof is made of shingle and has several skylights. The royal house, restored in 1843, along with the monastery, underwent some modifications, but the restoration from 1962 to 1963 brought it back to its original form.
The royal house, originally served as the summer residence of the voivode, was used as an abbess, but it also had various other destinations. Here, the painter Stefan Luchian spent some time and inspired by the beauty of the surroundings created some paintings with rural theme, represented among others by the painting “Fantana de la Brebu”.
