On one of the Danube terraces near the Oltenian town Corabia is situated the Sucidava Fortress, former economic and military center of the Geto-Dacian tribe of the furriers. The archaeological discoveries, which include from ceramic fragments to bronze bracelets, rings or lead mirror frames, attest to the millennial existence of the fortress. The elders in the area and the employees of the museum that run the fortress today tell that the history of Sucidave was a troubled one, which gave birth to many curiosities and legends.
After the conquest of Dacia, the Romans raised here a fort that would have contributed to the development of a civil settlement with the same name, Sucidava. The history of the first defense fortress begins in the time of the Roman emperor Aurelian, who built a road between Sucidava and Transylvania and strengthened the north-Danube border before withdrawing his troops and administration from Dacia in 275. The fortress was rebuilt by Emperor Constantine the Great, who also built a stone bridge over the Danube and restored the old Roman road. At the height of its importance, Sucidava was the capital of a territory stretching from Jiu to Olt, and towards the north, near the Romula Fortress (near today’s Caracal). The 5th- 6th centuries saw the fortress destroyed by the Huns, rebuilt by the emperor Justinian, so that around the 600s, it was permanently destroyed by the Avars-Slave invasions. Later, on the area of the old fortress, a Romanian population was established which erected a medieval fortification.
Many of the objectives of Sucidava Fortress that have been brought to light by archaeological excavations are true historical curiosities. For example, the stones that were used for the construction of the walls and gates of the fortress are believed to have been brought with the floats on the Danube, from the Bulgarians. This assumption is based on the discovery in stone of traces of shells and fossils of shells that would come from the bottom of the Sarmatic Sea.
The most interesting story, however, is that of the Secret Fountain, considered the main attraction of the fortress. The fountain, together with a Christian church in the immediate vicinity, was built in the 6th century by Emperor Justinian, but fell into oblivion for several hundred years. Legend says that by the middle of the 20th century, locals had begun stealing stones and bricks from the fortress area, which they then used to build their own homes. In 1958, one of these persons, who came to steal bricks, discovered the well by accident. Because officials did not find funds to restore the well, it was closed again for another ten years. In 1968, the Sucidava fountain was reopened and researched.
The Secret Fountain is considered a unique monument in Roman-Byzantine architecture. It was not excavated vertically, like ordinary wells, but on an inclined plane. A tunnel with steps descends in an inclined plane 26 meters – to the depth of 18 meters, where it captures the waters of an underground spring. Until recently, the spring was in connection with the Danube waters. As the Danube grew, so did the level of the fountain. After 2006 a dam was built, and now the water in the well keeps its depth of 1 meter constantly.
Near this spring, the tunnel ceiling was rebuilt after its original pyramid shape. About this particular feature of the fountain it is said that it gave it resistance to construction, and to the water, through the pyramid effect, special properties, such as purity. Due to its inclined position, the well itself is located 14 meters outside the walls of Sucidava Fortress.
Today, Sucidava Fortress is one of the most important tourist attractions in Olt County. Visitors who walk inside the fortress are invited to descend to the spring, to admire the pyramid-shaped ceiling and to drink a glass of cold, fresh water after setting a wish.
Bibliography:
· Mirela Marinescu, “The Secret Fountain in the Sucidava Fortress”, 28 February 2015, https://www.gds.ro/Actualitate/2015-02-28/fantana-secreta-din-cetatea-sucidava/
· Geta Roman, “Sucidava, the Danube fortress, renovated from European money” https://www.historia.ro/sectiune/general/articol/sucidava-cetatea-de-la-dunare-renovata-din-bani-europeni
Album “Sucidava Roman Castrum”, Federation of Employers of Oltenia Region F-PRO, April 2012