Southern Bucovina

Moldavian Painted Monasteries

Artistic visions of suffering and redemption.

Built by Stephen Cel Mare and his nobles, deep in the forests of the Carpathians, safe from the Muslim Turks, these monasteries were meant to teach the Christian religion and Moldavian history to their illiterate, peasant subjects. To preserve the paintings, pure dyes were used: madder for red, cobalt and lapiz lazuli for blue and sulfur for yellow.
Mânãstirea Voronet - Blue Background Founded by Stephen Cel Mare in 1488. Its vibrant blue is known worldwide as the Voronet Blue.
Mânãstirea Humor - Reddish Brown Background Built in1532-1536 by noblemen under Petru Rares, Stephen's illegitimate son. It has no tower and is surrounded by ramparts made from wood.
Mânãstirea Moldovita - Gold Background Built in 1532 by King Petru Rares. Located at the center of a quadrangular enclosure with towers and brawny gates.
Mânãstirea Sucevita - Green Background Built in 1582-1601 by two Moldavian nobles, Iremia and Simeon Movila, with triple tiered towers and ramparts, inside a fortified monastic enclosure. This one is Hippo's favorite of all 4.