Mural painting

     The history of the religious architecture in Moldavia could be considered without doubts, a real chronicle of the country's history. The monuments of the Moldavian serene landscapes evoke a history that seems to be brought to life again by the forms of the religious art. The firs monument in stone - the Saint Nicholas church (Bogdana Monastery) in Radauti - is a real "birth certificate" of the Moldavian sacred art. This church is a surprising synthesis of the main features of the Moldavian art.

      A second church that shows patterns of the tradition style is the small "Holy Trinity" church in Siret. Its style is a synthesis of different architectural trends: the trefoil from Walachia and the Gothic elements of Transylvania. A new era began for the religious art in Moldavia when Stephan became a voivode.

      The new style preserved the main characteristics of the ancient churches, only the Gothic elements were used in addition. The "Stephanian" synthesis brings together in harmony the Byzantine tendency of horizontally and the Gothic tendency of verticality.           

   Bogdana Monastery

 Voronet Monastery

      The churches and monasteries with paintings on the exterior walls in Northern Moldavia have a great historic and artistic value and are world famous. Built by the great Romanian rulers or historic personalities the Voronet, Moldovita, Sucevita, Humor, Arbore monasteries with their interior and exterior frescoes are like pages of an art and architecture album and they deeply impress their visitors from the country or from abroad. 

       The painting of the churches from Moldavia are very much alike to a symphony which, in the vibration of the colors, in the light of the faces, in the rhythm of the movements, glorifies the joy of Christian life in all its celestial greatness. Thus, on a blue background of an intense brilliance, the external frescos from the Voronet Monastery (Suceava Country), founded in 1488 by the ruler Stephan the Great and Saint, have preserved the first brilliance, their message of human - like and joy competing with the great works of paintings from whole Europe of the time.    

    The Sucevita Monastery (Suceava Country), built by Movila brothers (1581-1584), is the monument containing the greatest scenes as well as the shortening of dimensions, which gives the impression of a miniatured wallpapered surface. The outside of the monument is wrapped in a multicolored scarf that is chromatically dominated by green: "green that has the intensity of emerald and the vigour of fresh grass after rain" , as some of the researches use to assert.

      The church of the Moldovita Monastery (Suceava Country), a religious settlement founded by ruler Petru Rares in 1532 belongs, together with Voronet, Humor, Sucevita and Arbore monasteries, to the same famous family - the phenomenon known under the name of the exterior Moldavian painting. On the South side there can be seen two beloved themes: "Hymn of Prays" and "Theseus`s Tree".

                                     Sucevita Monastery   

Moldovita Monastery

       According to the famous French art critic Paul Henry "The exterior paintings are the most unique and original elements that Moldavia has produced. The order of the paintings as well as the way in which common themes are interpreted or the use of themes inspired from folklore prove the existence of an original design, a real local painting school, with its own traditions and conceptions".

       For their contribution to the heritage of the universal art, they have been given the title UNESCO monuments and the way in which they are preserved has been awarded the Pomme d`Or prize by the FIJET, the International Federation of Tourism Journalists and Writers. The trophy is kept inside the Moldovita Monastery.

      The Putna Monastery (Suceava Country), one of the most significant in Romania, built by Stephen the Great and Saint (who ruled between 1457 - 1504) and a necropolis of his family is also located in that region. Under his reign, Moldavia`s architecture reached maturity, unity of style and proved the great skill of its builders. As well as in other monasteries built in that period, chronicles were copied at Putna, which enriched the Romanian historical literature: The Putna I and the Putna II Chronicles. In the museum of the Putna monastery can be found the Hospel Book from 1473, with the portrait of Stephen the Great and Saint from 1488 - 1489 and from 1504 - 1507 masterpieces of the Romanian Medieval art. In the same place one can find other values. Thus, embroidery is characterized by a remarkable since of composition, by the harmony of the colors combined with golden and silver threads.

Putna Monastery

           Dragomirna Monastery

         Humor Monastery

       The Tetracvangheliarul (The Book of the Four Hospels), from 1609, Tetracvangheliarul(The Book of the Four Hospels), from 1614 and Psaltirea (The Psalm Book), from 1616 at the Dragomirna Monastery (Suceava Country), written on parchment paper and decorated with icons and miniatures by Bishop Anastasie Crimca, the builder of the monastery, is of an inestimable historical and cultural value.

       South from these monasteries, in the country of Neamt, there are other very interesting monastic settlements: Neamt (1497), Bistrita (1554), Pangarati (1560), Secu (1602), Agapia (1642-1644), Varatec (1812), Sihastria (1824), Durau (1835), Horaita (1867). Among these the most significant is the Neamt Monastery built in the 14 th century by the following of Moldavia`s rulers: Petru Musat, Alexandru cel Bun and Stephen the Great and Saint (who built in 1497, the Main Church). It includes the largest of the monastic libraries (about 18.000 volumes), with very valuable books by Varlaam, Dosoftei, Dimitrie Cantemir and others, manuscripts (in Slavonic, Greek and Romanian), a museum (with an important collection of religious art, worship objects and icons) and the hall of the printing press, a reminder of the school of cartographers and miniaturists set up by Gavriil Uric and the famous chroniclers Macarie and Eftimie.

      We feel obligated to mention that the manuscripts of those times adorned with miniatures of an incredible fineness are today priceless treasures kept not only in the Romanian museums and libraries, but also in many other libraries of the world. Thus, "The Book of the Four Hospels" from Neamt monastery (1429), written and illustrated by Gavriil Uric, can be found in England now, being kept in the Bodleyana library from Oxford and another unvaluable manuscript preserved by Alexander II Mircea (1568 - 1577), enriches the collections of the University from Chicaqo.

      Three great Romanian painters participated at the restoration of several monasteries in the Country of Neamt. During the restoration of the Agapia Monastery (1858 - 1861), the painting was restored by Nicolae Grigorescu. Also, Nicolae Tonitza, assisted by one of his students, Corneliu Baba, made the painting on wax at the Durau Monastery between 1936 and 1937.

      The monastic settlements from Romania, that are presented or not on this web, they are opportunities of getting acquainted, of admiring, of thinking, about the artistic creation, spiritually fulfilled, for the whole Eastern Christianity, as Nicolae Iorga used to say, as a triumph of the sacred-inspired art.              

              Voronet Monastery