Moldoviţa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Churches of Moldavia* | |
|---|---|
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
| State Party |  Romania |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | i, iv |
| Reference | 598 |
| Region† | Europe |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 1993 (17th Session) |
| * Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. † Region as classified by UNESCO. |
|
The Moldoviţa Monastery (Romanian: Mânăstirea Moldoviţa) is a Romanian Orthodox monastery situated in the town of Moldoviţa, Suceava County, Moldavia, Romania. The Monastery of Moldoviţa was built in 1532 by Petru Rareş, who was Stefan the Great's illegitimate son. It was founded as a protective barrier against the Muslim Ottoman conquerors from the East.
[edit] History
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 Rareş, 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 Suceviţa, Moldoviţa, Voroneţ, Humor, Suceava, Pătrăuţi, and Probota. Seven of them--including the Monastery of Moldoviţa--were placed on UNESCO World Heritage list in 1993.
[edit] Frescoes
Moldoviţa's frescoes are filled with yellow accents and are well preserved. The predominantly yellow-and-blue frescoed paintings on its exterior (right, the apses' Prayer of All Saints", a recurring theme in Christian Orthodox art) were done in 1537.
This monastery, built by Voivode Petru Rareş, is one of the five monasteries in Northern Moldavia with frescoes painted on the outer walls. Sister Maika, who has been living in the monastery for more than 50 years, says that it is "the holy scriptures in color". The Crucifixion (nave) is the most valuable painting preserved in the churches of Bukovina.
Moldoviţa Monastery is the second (after Humor Monastery) and the last church with open porch, hidden place above the burial-vault, with Gothic-style windows and doors. The interior and exterior paintings of the walls represent scenes from the 16th century of Moldovian daily life.
