Churches of Moldavia

Unesco World Heritage Sites

I have to start with a short backstory. Stephen the Great, the King of Moldavia from 1457 until his death in 1504, fought 36 battles against the Ottoman Empire, winning 34 of them. He was very religious and built churches after many victories. Stephen's illegitimate son, Petru Rareș, who ruled Moldavia from 1527 to 1538 and again from 1541 to 1546, promoted a new vision for Bukovina churches. He commissioned artists to cover the interiors and exteriors with elaborate frescoes (portraits of saints and prophets, scenes from the life of Jesus).

So now there are eight Romanian Orthodox Churches of Moldavia, located in Suceava County, northern Moldavia region, Romania. These were built approximately between 1487 and 1583 and they have been listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

In this post I’ll only refer to 4 of them, plus Putna Monastery, but please do visit them all, if you get a chance, as they all are very special and have something unique to offer.

Voroneț Monastery

First, I’ll start with Voroneț Monastery, which is one of these famous painted monasteries, nicknamed the “Eastern Sistine Chapel”. Actually, it is a medieval monastic complex consisting of 4 objects:

The church „St. George”, dating from 1488;
sanctums/cells ruins, dating from the XV-XVIII (15th-18th) centuries;
Bell tower – dating from 1488
Enclosure wall, dating from the XV-XVIII centuries.

The katholikon (main church) of Saint George at Voroneț Monastery is possibly the most famous church in Romania. The architectural style of the church is Gothic, its frescoes feature an intense shade of blue known in Romania as “Voroneț blue”. The founder of the monastery was Stephen the Great, and Saint Daniil the Hermit was the first abbot of the monastery. The tomb of Saint Daniil is located within the monastery.

Voronet Monastery Wall Paintings

Moldovița Monastery

The Moldovița Monastery was built in 1532 as a protective barrier against the Muslim Ottoman conquerors from the East. The Moldovița complex consists of the following 6 objects:

Church of the Annunciation, dating from 1532;
The winter chapel, dating from the XIX century;
The circular tower (Clisiarnita), dating from 1610-1612;
South cells, dating from the XIX-XX centuries;
Enclosure wall with corner tower, dating from the XVI-XVII centuries;
Entrance bell tower, dating from the XVI-XVII centuries.

The architecture of the “Annunciation” Church from the Moldovița Monastery combines elements of Byzantine and Gothic art. Moldovița’s frescoes are filled with yellow accents and are well preserved, especially those on the south wall. Moldovița is one of the last churches built with an open porch, a hidden place above the burial-vault, and with Gothic-style windows and doors.

Sucevița Monastery

Sucevița Monastery was built in 1585. The interior court of the monastic ensemble is almost square (100 by 104 meters) and is surrounded by 6m high and 3m wide walls. There are several other defensive structures within the ensemble, including four towers, one in each corner. Sucevița was a princely residence as well as a fortified monastery. The thick walls shelter nowadays a museum, showcasing an outstanding collection of historical and art objects. Sucevița used to be an important manuscript workshop, as well as a printing center.

The monastic complex at Sucevița consists of the following 6 objects:

Resurrection Church, dating from 1583-1586;
Cells, dating from the XVI century;
Chapel, dating from 1583-1586;
Northeast and northwest towers – dating from the XVI-XVII centuries;
Enclosure wall – dating from the XVI-XVII centuries.

The architecture of the church contains both Byzantine and Gothic elements, and some elements typical to other painted churches of northern Moldavia.

Sucevita Monastery Wall Paintings

Sucevita External Walls

Saint John the New Monastery

Finally, Saint John the New Monastery in Suceava, was built between 1514 and 1522.

The monastery is dedicated to Saint John the New of Suceava, a Moldavian monk who preached during Turkish occupation and was subsequently martyred in Cetatea Albă, present-day Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi in Ukraine.

The monastery church served as metropolitan cathedral of Moldavia until 1677 and, since 1991, it serves as the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Suceava and Rădăuți. Besides the monumental church, the monastery complex includes a bell tower built in 1589, a chapel founded in 1626-1629, old cells for monks (built in the 19th century), a house for the abbot (built between 1894-1896) and the surrounding walls.

Putna Monastery

Additionally to those mentioned, I have to also refer to the Putna monastery. This is one of the most important cultural, religious and artistic centers established in medieval Moldavia; as with many others, it was built and dedicated by Stephen the Great and it houses its tombs. It represents an important place of pilgrimage nowadays. There is a lot of information in English on the official website putna.ro, regarding the history and architecture of the monastery.

Many other churches were built on the pattern offered by the old foundation at Putna, which became renowned both by its functionalism, the architectural solutions and proportions, and by its glory as the necropolis of the greatest Moldavian prince of all times.

About 10 minutes walk from the eastern wall of the monastery, in the cemetery of the village of Putna, stands the wooden church attributed to Dragos the Voivode. He is said to have built this wooden church in Volovat in 1353, and “around 1468, Stephen the Great brought it from Volovat and built it in Putna, where it stands until this day”. In the past, the wooden church also used to be called “The old monastery of Putna”.