The splendid Antim Monastery, with its elegant dome and gold finish was constructed between 1708 and 1715 on the orders of polymath Antim Ivireanul, patriarch of the Orthodox Church in Wallachia at the time. Antim originally intended the monastery to be a refuge for fallen women and refugees, as well as a seat of learning. The bell tower through which we today enter the monastery was added in 1857. The monastery church is particularly worth admiring, for its sumptuous icons featuring scenes from the Nativity and Revelations, painted in 1812 by Petre Alexandrescu. The sculptures on the wooden double doors of the church were executed by Patriarch Antim himself.