At the turn of the 17th century, the region of Moldovia – what is now the northern Romanian province of Bucovina – was threatened with attack by the Ottoman Turks. Wishing to defend their territory, popular armies gathered inside the monasteries' protective walls and awaited battle. To entertain, educate and arouse the interest of the illiterate soldiers, the priests painted stories from the Bible, the life of Christ and history in general in fabulous, comic-style frescoes, on the walls both inside and outside the central church. The purpose of the frescoes was to make the story of the Bible and the lives of the most important Orthodox saints known to villagers by the use of images.
Their outstanding composition, elegant outline and harmonious colours blend perfectly with the surrounding landscape. Deemed masterpieces of Byzantine art, these churches are one-of-a-kind architectural sites in Europe. Far from being merely wall decorations, the images represent complete cycles of religious murals.
Nestled among the picturesque mountains, in the middle of a quaint village, is Moldovita monastery. Still an active monastery, with nuns in black habits pottering to and fro, the place is simply stunning. At the centre of a fortified quadrangular courtyard with corner turrets and lovely tended gardens, is the most elegant and colourful church. The magnificent painted exterior – showing among other stories, the defence of Constantinople AD629 and a representation of the Last Judgement is without comparison.
Emma from our Marketing team has recently visited Romania on our Along the Enchanted Way walking tour. Read Emma's blog about visiting the painted monasteries, including further details about the frescoes and visitor etiquette.
Click here to watch our video about the story of the painted monasteries.
