Arnota Monastery is a monastic place declared a historical monument and included in the list of architectural monuments of national importance and belongs to the Arhiepiscopia Râmnicului. Arnota Monastery, considered one of the most representative historical and religious art monuments in the country located in a picturesque corner on the heights of the Carpathians, in the village of Bistrița (commune Costeşti) in Vâlcea County, on Arnota mountain, a place blessed by God with peace, serenity, nature and spirit. The monastery was founded by Matei Basarab and his wife Elina, and the church bears the name "Holy Archangels Michael and Gavriil". Arnota Monastery preserves the tomb of Matei Basarab Voda (1580-1654) within its walls.
Arnota Monastery is distinguished by its historical importance and outstanding heritage value. The church (along with the church of the Monastery Plătărești from jud. Călărași) preserves in its original form the 17th century murals, from the time of by Matei Basarab. The church altar furniture, rebuilt at the beginning of the 18th century by Constantin Brâncoveanu, is currently preserved at the Museum of Art in Bucharest (since 1913), carrying with it a specific beauty of the sculptures in the brancovenian style.