RO-110340 Monasteries of Romania

In the 15th-18th centuries, monasteries in Wallachia and Moldavia were generally erected, financed and maintained by enlightened ruling princes, high dignitaries or high clergymen. Monasteries became the main promoters of art and culture, with learned scholars, schools, training centres, libraries and printing facilities attached to them. Their development was also due to the valuable assets and vast estates, forests, vineyards, lakes etc. that they owned, which were donated by their princely founders, landowners or by wealthy believers. Monasteries in Romania, especially in Moldavia and Wallachia, have been most cherished, and probably are the best preserved cultural sites in the country.

This postcard sent by Anca (23 October 2015) shows six of the many Romanian monasteries.  From left to right, top to bottom, they are:

1. Voronet Monastery

2. Sucevita Monastery
3. Moldovita Monastery
4. Neamt Monastery
5. Secu Monastery
6. Agapia Monastery

1. Voronet Monastery is located in the town of Gura Humorului, Moldavia. It is one of the famous painted monasteries from southern Bukovina, now in Suceava County. Between May and September 1488, Stephen III of Moldavia (known as "Stephen the Great") built the Voronet Monastery to commemorate the victory at Battle of Vaslui. Often known as the "Sistine Chapel of the East", the frescoes at Voronet feature an intense shade of blue known in Romania as "Voronet blue". "The exterior walls — including a representation of the Last Judgment on the west wall — were painted in 1547 with a background of vivid cerulean blue. This blue is so vibrant that art historians refer to Voronet blue the same way they do Titian red."

2. Sucevita Monastery is the largest and also the last built of the painted monasteries of Bucovina. It was built in 1581 by the Bishop of Radauti, Gheorghe Movila. It is situated in the village of the same name in the foothills of the Carpathians west of Radauti. Like all the painted monasteries, the church, dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotokos, is frescoed inside and out. The monastery is surrounded by thick, fortified walls built by the Voievod Ieremiah Movila, brother of Bishop Gheorghe. Both the Movila brothers are buried at the monastery

3. Moldovita Monastery is a Romanian Orthodox monastery situated in the town of Moldovita, Suceava County, Moldavia. It was built in 1532 by Petru Rares, who was Stefan the Great's illegitimate son. It was founded as a protective barrier against the Muslim Ottoman conquerors from the East.

 Stephen the Great, the King of Romania 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 Rares, who ruled Romania from 1527-1538 and again from 1541-1546, 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).

 The best preserved are the monasteries in the towns of Sucevita, Moldovita, Voronet, Humor, Suceava, Patrauti, and Probota. Seven of them--including the Monastery of Moldovita--were placed on UNESCO World Heritage list in 1993.

4. Neamt Monastery is a Romanian Orthodox religious settlement, one of the oldest and most important of its kind in Romania. It was built in 14th century, and it is an example of medieval Moldavian architecture. Jewel of 15th century architecture, the church was built by Stefan cel Mare and finished in the year when the Moldavian army won the battle against King John Albert (1497).

 The monastery is located in north-eastern part of Romania, in Neamt County, 10 km west of Târgu Neamt.  Sumptuous, with delicate colour effects, the monastery shows the maturity of the Moldavian architectonic style, which matured during Stefan cel Mare's period. The façade of the church is covered with the decoration characteristic of Stefan cel Mare's time: Gothic windows and friezes with enamelled disks, coloured in green, yellow and brown.

 In the chamber of the tombs, which appear for the first time at this church, is the tomb of Stefan al II-lea, son of Alexandru cel Bun and uncle of Stefan cel Mare.

The art treasures kept at Neamt Monastery are proof of the intense artistic and cultural activity which took place here through the centuries. Here Gavril Uric showed his talent, the most important representative of the Moldavian miniature from the 15th century. His first known manuscript, dated 1429, is kept in the Bodleian Library at Oxford (UK). The calligraphers and miniaturists of Stefan cel Mare who worked at this important centre made many of the books given to Putna Monastery. In the cells of the monastery, the chronicler Macarie wrote the chronicle of Petru Rares's rule, and Eftimie the chronicle of Alexandru Lapusneanu's rule.

The learned tradition of the Neamt Monastery disappeared in the 17th and 18th centuries, to be reborn at the beginning of the next century when Metropolitan Veniamin Costachi established a printing house here. In the monastery museum is the old printing press, which was used to print books since 1807. In the monastery is a famous library more than 600 years old. Among the almost 11,000 volumes are many rare books, some being the first ones printed in this country. The altar screen of the former church from Neamt Fortress is the most important treasure in the monastery, along with the icon painted by Nicolae Grigorescu "The Flight from Egypt".

5. Secu Monastery is located 22 km from Targu Neamt. The religious complex is near Secu brook on the foot of Vasan mountain . This monastery looks like a medieval city with thick walls of stone and defense towers.  It was constructed in 1602 by Nestor Ureche – the father of Grigore Ureche.

The Patron of Secu Monastery is “Taierea capului Sfantului Ioan Botezatorul – The beheading of John the Baptist”

Secu Monastery is a 500 year old Romanian Orthodox settlement. The first hermitage was raised in the year 1530. The buildings that we can see today at Secu Monastery were built in the year 1602.

The church of Secu monastery was built in 1602 in the shape of a rectangular city, in the middle of the surrounding walls. In the year 1821 the last battle between Turks and Eteristi took place. The Turkish won the battle and burned the church. After that, most of the buildings and cells had to be rebuild, together with the chapel of St Nicholas.

6. Agapia Monastery The history of this monastery starts with the old settlement - Agapia din Deal (Agapia from the hill) - founded between 1527-1538 or 1541-1546. The high place, hardly accessible, where Agapia din Deal was located necessitated at the begining of the 17th century for the settlement to be moved to its current place - Agapia din Vale (from the valley). Ruined and re-built, burned and rebuilt again, Agapia din Deal became a very charming hermitage. At this place, Gavril, the brother of Vasile Lupu (Moldavian ruler), and his wife, Liliana, built in 1642, the Agapia Monastery.

 Agapia Monastery was attacked and robbed many times. It was renovated radically during 1858-1862. This was a period in which the great painter Nicolae Grigorescu made some of his masterpieces here. The paintings of the great maestro, those that had survived the fire from 1903, are important treasures of the monastery. The monastery has a museum with an important collection of objects having great historical and artistical value. There are old icons from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, embroideries, crosses, other religious objects etc. There are also old manuscripts and carpets in Moldavian style made in the monastery workshops.

Primary source: http://www.atlantaserbs.com/learnmore/monasteries_and_towns/Romania.htm