Last Updated on March 20, 2023 by PowersToTravel
UNESCO has declared these monasteries World Heritage Sites, and we could see why! We spent a day driving a circular route out of Gura Humorului (say that five times fast, or anything Romanian for that matter!), and visited four of these amazing buildings in one day: Voronet, Moldovita, Sucevita and Humor.
The architecture of most of the churches were similar, and the style of the paintings, similar as well. However the allegorical messages on the walls differed.
We first encountered this amazing art and architecture at Voronet, and I feel I have to dedicate an entire page to it – either that or your pageload speeds will crawl as I try to cram too many images from all four churches into one small space!
Here is your first glimpse, as we glimpsed it ourselves:
The circular tower, with its Disney-like hat (roof!), and the multiple circular roofs with large overhangs are typical of these monasteries. Obviously what is striking is the exterior art – not just stone and mortar, or even tile, but plaster and paint open to the elements. What is more striking is how the frescoes survived from the 1500s until this day. While the monastery was built in 1488, the exterior frescoes date from the 1500s. You can see how preserved the art is, on the sides which are away from the weather:
and how the art on the sides which receive the wind and rain has been lost:
The monastery still functions, in spite of the mass of tourists. That is to say, I believe she belonged to the monastery. Could be she was a tourist just like us?
The background color is called “Voronet Blue.” Here’s an great read about how they painted the frescoes and the longevity and richness of this famous color.
The art was designed in a time when the Eastern Orthodox church was under attack by the advancing Ottoman Empire. The paintings served as education for the illiterate peasants of the day. Voronet tells the story of the Last Judgment. You can see the devil howling from within the red section on the lower right.
Among the groups of sinners are naturally the Turks and the Jews. The detail in the art is fascinating and at least for us, at least the allegories understandable. During our trip to Southeast Asia the volume of symbolism overwhelmed us as non-Buddhists and non-Hindus. There I struggled just to remember Garuda, the winged creature and the Naga serpents who rode on staircases. Here at least I was able to immediately relate to the Angel Gabriel and St. Peter!
The inside of the monastery was as colorful and sainted as the outside. Here’s a little peak. (The movie seems to go on forever, so stop it when you get tired!)
I can’t say I know exactly what these creatures of the deep represented, however since we are residents of a sea-going city, Newport, I felt it necessary to record their role in the Last Judgment.
I would have been happy to spend hours there, taking pictures of each detail, but we had so many more miles to go that day, and so much more art to see!
Interesting Links
The story of the making of the frescoes
The next step in our Romania itinerary
Day 7 – If you thought the haystacks in Maramures were amazing, check out the haystacks in Bucovina!
Check out my key Romania article
Romania Travel Blog – Itinerary, Planning and Diabetic Travel Tips
