Bucovina Monasteries
The land of Bucovina
The Austrians gave the name “Die Buchenland”, “The Land of Beech Woods” to the area. Historical Bucovina was about twice its present size, but the northern part now belongs to the Ukraine as a result of the Soviet-German Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact of August 1940. What remains, forms partly the modern administrative county of Suceava. The county of Suceava is bound in the north by the Ukraine, and in the west by the Romanian region of Transylvania, with its counties Bistriţa-Năsăud and Maramureş along the ridges of the Carpathians. On the eastern and southern sides are Moldavian counties: Botoşani and Iaşi in the east, Neamţ, Harghita and Mureş in the south. Bucovina is a synthesis of the variety, harmony and beauty of Romanian landscape, its richness of relief with mountains, tablelands, gorges, hills, fields, and valleys, its rivers, streams and lakes, its forests, flora and fauna.
Landmarks
The impressive number of churches to be found in Bucovina, Romania, with their fine exterior and interior frescoes, have been preserved and handed down from mediaeval times, and because of their uniqueness and artistic value, were added to UNESCO’s World Cultural Heritage List in 1993. There is no other place in the world where such a group of churches, with such high quality exterior frescoes, are to be seen.
The churches were founded, in most cases, as family burial places of princes and high nobles. Each painter, although following the canonical iconographic programme, interpreted the scenes in a slightly different way. Using colors like the famous Voronet blue, the green- red of Sucevita, the yellow of Moldovita, the red of Humor and the green of Arbore, the painters (most of them unknown) described the biblical stories of the earth and heaven, stories of man’s beginnings and of his life after death. The scenes were first painted on the interior walls, and then extended to the exterior ones. The reasons for such vast scenes were both religious and didactic: to promote Orthodoxy and to educate the illiterate.
Voroneț Monastery - The Church of St. George of the Voroneţ Monastery is possibly the most famous church of Romania and it is named also The Sistine Chapel of the East.
Year Built: 1488 Built by: Stephen the Great Location: Voroneţ, Suceava County Summary: It is known throughout the world for its exterior frescoes of bright and intense colours, and for the hundreds of well-preserved figures placed against the renowned azurite background. The age of the monastic site is not known. A legend tells us that Stephen the Great, in a moment of crisis during a war against the Turks, came to Daniel the Hermit at his skete in Voroneţ and asked for advice. After he won the battle against the Turks, keeping his promise to the monk, the prince built a new church, dedicated to St. George, the bringer of victory in battle. This is the present church that was built on the site of an older wooden church, the scanty remains of which have not been dated. The exterior, with its buttresses and door and window frames were related to Western European High Gothic. The influences spread from Transylvania and Poland with craftsmen who were invited especially to build churches.
Sucevița Monastery - The church of the Sucevița Monastery was included on the UNESCO Heritage List on 1 August 2010 and is the only church that includes a representation of The Ladder of St. John.
Year Built: 1583 Built by: Ieremia, Simion and Gheorghe Movilă Location: Suceviţa, Suceava County. Summary: This classic Moldavian church with its five rooms, shows the first new architectural tendencies: smaller niches, and three bases for the tower. The frescoes are very remarkable, colourful and well preserved.
The frescoes are very remarkable, colourful and well preserved. The number of scenes and personages is higher than in any other church in Moldavia. Unlike most other cases, the names of the painters are known: the brothers Ion and Sofronie, who carried out the work from 1595 to 1596. The church is the only painted church that was not founded by a ruling prince, although the Movilăs were descendants of Petru Rareş on their mother’s side. Quite soon after the monastery was built Ieremia Movilă became the ruler of Moldavia, and his brother Simion reigned in Walachia. The third brother, Gheorghe, who was during that period the Bishop of Rădăuţi, rose to become the Metropolitan of Moldavia. The church was painted around 1595, nearly half a century after its “sister”churches. It is considered the last flowering of the custom of painting the church façades that mark the reigns of Stephen the Great and Petru Rareş. The massive precinct walls were built after 1595, during the reign of Ieremia Movilă. Each wall is nearly 100 metres long, three metres wide and more than six metres tall, and create the atmosphere of a mediaeval fortress. The walls are strengthened with buttresses, bulwarks and imposing towers. Narrow loopholes in the upper part of the walls indicate that a defensive catwalk encircled the compound.
Moldovița Monastery - Alexander the Kind built the first monastery in Moldoviţa on the banks of the Moldoviţa River at the beginning of the 15th century. The exterior paintings are the best preserved of all the churches of Bucovina.
Year Built: 1532 Built by: Prince Petru Rareş Location: Vatra Moldoviţei, Suceava County Summary: The most distinctive feature of the Church of the Annunciation is the open exonarthex with its three tall arches on the west façade. The monastery is mentioned for the first time in a document of 1402, and successive other documents tell of new donations. There is no record of how, or when, the monastery was destroyed, but possibly an earthquake ruined it at the beginning of the 16th century. Only low stone ruins remain of the first church. It was built of rough blocks of stone on a triconch plan, with three apses. The new church was built In 1532 in a different location, several hundred metres uphill from the river. The church was painted in 1537 both inside and outside. The significant stylistic differences between various scenes indicate that there must have been several painters at work in Moldoviţa. The exterior painting of the Church of the Annunciation is the best preserved among all the painted churches of Bucovina. Especially on the south and east façades, there are paintings that have not been faded by the passage of time, and that are able to suggest how bright the decorated façades were during the reign of Prince Rareş. The inner painting is faithful to the tradition, but The Crucifixion is considered the most valuable work on this theme from the churches of Bucovina. The color specific to Modovița Monastery is yellow. The museum of the monastery holds manuscripts dating the 15th century, manuscripts which make references to the way the monastery school used to be organized and to any other general cultural activities. The Four Gospels (1613) and a psalm book (1614) were written calligraphically in here. Moldovița Monastery is one of the few monuments that contain original assemblies of carved furniture.
Putna Monastery - Stephen the Great built this imposing monastery as his burial place between 1466 and 1469, and the Church of the Assumption of the Holy Virgin was consecrated one year later.
Year Built: 1466-1469 Built by: Stephen the Great Location: Putna, Suceava County Summary: The present church was practically rebuilt between 1653 and 1662 by Vasile Lupu and his successors. Only three years after the monastery was completed, a fire destroyed it, but it was immediately rebuilt. It was destroyed again in 1653 by the Cossack army of Timuş Hmelniţchi, the son-in-law of Prince Vasile Lupu. The present church was practically rebuilt between 1653 and 1662 by Vasile Lupu and his successors. The ground plan follows the plan of the original edifice, as could be ascertained when the foundations of the first church were excavated from 1968 to 1970. Stephen the Great ruled for half a century, 1457-1504. He earned his surname “Great” for his several successful military campaigns against the infidel Turks. He is also famous for building and influencing the building of dozens of churches and monasteries all over Moldavia. Allegedly he founded a religious edifice after each important military victory. In the Putna monastery, is found the tomb of king Stephen the Great and several of his family members. His tomb became a place of pilgrimage. Although the present church follows the ground plan of a typical 15th and 16th century Moldavian church, it has many architectural and decorative features that are typical of 17th century churches. Fragments of mural painting have been discovered on the east wall, but in areas that are no longer visible: under the present floor level and in the attic, behind the vaults.
Mastercrafts
The Black Ceramics of Marginea - Within the Marginea Complex Marginea Ceramics is already a well- one can find the ethnographic known brand. Historians date the museum, placed in an 100 beginning of pottery at Marginea in hundred years old house. The 1500. Due to its geographical position, tourists have the possibility to Marginea commune is surrounded by purchase these great treasures of forestes, its soil is argellaceous and it is Bucovina. Also, you can crossed by the Sucevita river. All these encounter in the museum features are fundamental for the craft ceramics, wefts, knitting, birch born from the magical triangle of clay, baskets, bead necklaces, painted water and fire. eggs, beaded eggs.
International Conference on Controlled Deterministic and Stochastic Systems - Bucovina Sightseeing Tour, Saturday, July 7, 2012 • Departure 07:30, in front of the Gaudeamus and Traian hotels; • Monasteries to visit: Voroneț, Sucevița, Moldovița, Putna; • Museums to visit: Nicolae Popa ethnographic museum from Târpești, The Black Ceramics of Marginea museum; • Breakfast on the go, lunch at a pension near Sucevița Monastery; • Returning in Iași around 21:30.
The price of the excursion is 30 Euro, all the above included. The interested persons should subscribe and pay the fee before July 5.