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THE PAINTED CHURCHES OF BUCOVINA
Moldovi]a Monastery lexander the built the first monastery in Moldovi]a on the banks of the Moldovi]a River at the beginning of the 15th century.
AKind
The Siege of Costantinople, painted on the south faรงade as part of the Akathistos Hymn, recounts the A.D. 626 siege of the town.
The domestic quarters of the nuns are built into the fortress walls. A small museum is located in the treasury house that Bishop Efrem of R\d\u]i built in1612.
The site chosen was far from other villages, in the middle of the forest. He donated lands and Tartar slaves to the establishment, and the first community around the compound was created. The monastery is mentioned for the first time in a document of 1402, and successive other documents tell of new donations. There is no record of how, or when, the monastery was destroyed, but possibly
MOLDOVI}A MONASTERY an earthquake ruined it at the beginning of the 16th century. Only low stone ruins remain of the first church. It was built of rough blocks of stone on a triconch plan, with three apses. Originally, it had only a chancel, a naos and a narrow pronaos. When the monastic community increased in size, a second, much larger, pronaos was built to the west end of the edifice. As is the case with many other monasteries built during the first century of Moldavia's existence, such as Probota and Humor, Moldovi]a
A small museum is located in the treasury house that Bishop Efrem of R_d_u_i built in1612.
The gate tower was influenced by the much larger gate tower of Dragomirna Monastery, built some years earlier. The upper floor can be visited by climbing up a spiral stairway that is inside a small round abutting tower.
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was also re-founded by Petru Rare[. The new church was built in 1532 in a different location, several hundred metres uphill from the river. Petru Rare[ founded the present Church of the Annunciation, as is confirmed by the commemorative inscription on the south faรงade of the church, to the left of the entrance. The church is built on the usual triconch plan of three apses used for all monastic establishments. The church is rather long, as it has, besides the obligatory chancel, naos and pronaos, a burial chamber and an exonarthex. A graceful octagonal lantern tower with four windows stands above the naos, and a hidden treasury room was built above the burial chamber. The open exonarthex with large openings is its most distinctive feature, built on the model of the Church of Humor. The long faรงades are smooth, except for a row of small niches that surrounds the whole church. The three apses are decorated with tall niches that reach almost to the eaves. The four big pronaos windows have pointed Gothic arches and stone tracery in the upper part. The other five windows are much smaller, with slightly pointed arches and a square frame of crossed rods. The church was painted in 1537 both inside and outside. The significant stylistic differences between various scenes indicate that there must have been several painters at work in Moldovi]a. In 1607 Bishop Efrem of R\d\u]i built the solid precinct wall with three towers. The gate tower and the southeast corner tower are square, but the northeast corner tower is round. A vaulted gateway leads through the gate tower into the compound. The arch of the gateway is decorated with carved stone rosettes. In the northwest corner of the compound is a two-storey building, the former clisiarni]a, or treasury house. Now the building is the monastery museum. The collection includes embroideries, icons, liturgical books, archaeological finds and the church seat of Petru Rare[. The monastery church is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The three towers were built in 1607 and each is different in shape. Square towers are commonly found in the monasteries of Bucovina, while the round northeast tower is unique.
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THE PAINTED CHURCHES OF BUCOVINA
MOLDOVI}A MONASTERY
The Siege of Constantinople on the south façade. Above it some scenes from the Akathistos Hymn.
Façades he exterior painting of the Church of the T Annunciation is the best preserved among all the painted churches of Bucovina. Especially on the south and east façades, there are paintings that have not been faded by the passage of time, and that are able to suggest how bright the decorated façades were during the reign of Prince Rare[. Just under the eaves are 105 niches, each painted with an angel. On the western pillar, just to the left of the entrance and the tall opening of the south façade, there are three Military Saints on prancing horses and with either a lance or a sword in hand. Farthest up is St. George, then St. Demetrius and St. Mercurius. Below them
is a very faded scene of St. Nestor and the Gladiator. On the right side of the entrance is The Akathistos Hymn, as usual. The 24 stanzas of the Hymn cover four registers. First come the twelve historical stanzas that recount the birth of Christ: The Annunciation, The Conception, The Virgin Mary Meets St. Elizabeth, The Doubting of Joseph , The Birth of Christ, The Way of the Three Magi to Bethlehem, The Adoration of the Magi, The Return of the Three Magi, The Flight to Egypt, and The Presentation of Jesus at the Temple. Then follow the twelve mystic stanzas, among which are The Adoration of the Virgin, The Saviour of Mankind, The Protecting Virgin (u), and The Adoration of the
Icon of the Mother of God. On the last register are two scenes. On the left is The Burning Bush or The Vision of Moses, where Moses is shown the burning bush as a symbol of the virginity of Mary. On the right is the most complete Siege of Constantinople existing. Enemies surround the fortified town: on the left is a fleet of
The openings on the south façade are surrounded by well preserved scenes.
Turkish ships and on the right is the army on horseback, and cannon pointing at the besieged. On the ramparts are seen townsfolk and the Emperor carrying the icon of the Virgin Mary and the Mandylion, the face of Christ imprinted on a cloth. Although the subject is supposedly the siege of 626, when the Avars were beaten with the help of the Virgin, the cannon and the modern Turkish outfits indicate that the function of the painting was to remind the spectators of the fall of Constantinople in 1453. Beyond a wide decorative band is The Tree of Jesse that covers the façade up to the first buttress. Against the background of a flowering climbing plant are images of Christ's ancestors. The tree stems
from the side of Jesse, at the bottom of the composition, in the middle. Above him are the kings of Israel, starting from David and Solomon. Besides the
figures of saints, there are also important scenes from the life of Christ, such as The Birth of Christ and The Crucifixion. On the side of the first buttress are figures of Philosophers, and on the face of the buttress are shown Stylites, saints that lived their life on top of a column. The figures in the tall niches of the three apses, as well as the angels in the small niches, form The Prayer of All Saints. On register II are Prophets, then on register III come Apostles, on register IV Martyrs with their white crosses, and on register V Monks and Hermits. Between the niches are colourful Seraphs with their three pairs of wings surrounding the small faces.
South buttress with figures of Greek Philosophers.
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The Lamb above the east apse window.
The saints are oriented towards the figures on the east axis of the church. Between the prophets is The Virgin and the Child, seated on a throne and surrounded by angels. Above the apse window is a rare representation, The Lamb, its white fleece shining against the deep red of the drapery. This figure is thought to be a combination of two scenes just behind the wall: another Lamb on the interior embrasure of the same window, and a painting of the Mandy-lion, the face of Christ imprinted on a white cloth, above it. Below the window, on the low buttress, is another scene of sacrifice, the Amnos, or Jesus-Sacrifice on a paten. On the left side of the Amnos, on the register of the monks, is St. Pachomius and the Angel. St. Pachomius was one of the founders of monastic life, and an angel appeared to him to confirm his choice of leading the life of a monk. The frescoes of the lower registers on
the northern part of the east apse, as well as the north apse, have mostly faded away. On the north façade, the painting has been preserved only on the upper registers. On the left side of the façade, are scenes from The Life of the Virgin Mary, such as The Annunciation to St. Anne and The Birth of the Virgin Mary. On the right side of the façade, on two registers, are scenes from The Teachings of the Apostles. Above the tall opening is The Throne of Hetoimasia or the Throne of the Second Coming of Christ. On the right side of the same opening is still visible a part of The Customs of Heaven. The scene shows a twelve-storey high tower with 24 platforms, which correspond to the 24 challenges a soul has to pass before reaching Heaven. A narrow ladder leads from the top of the tower to the open gates of Heaven. The west façade is characterized mostly
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by the three tall openings that turn the exonarthex into a truly open porch. The theme of the faรงade is The Genesis. This is the vastest representation of the theme, but unfortunately the lower registers are somewhat deteriorated and the colours have faded. On register II, just under the niches with the angels, from left to right are The Creation of Earth and Sky, The Creation of Adam, and The Creation of Eve. On register III are The Naming of the Creatures, The Temptation, God Discovers the Sinners, and The Banishment from the Garden of Eden. On register IV are Adam's Pact With Satan, The Sacrifice of Cain and Abel, and The Murder of Abel. On register V are quite badly preserved scenes related to Noah, and the scenes of
THE PAINTED CHURCHES OF BUCOVINA
MOLDOVI}A MONASTERY
register VI are no longer legible.
Judgment. Below them is The Resurrection of the Dead, in which, as usual, angels blow the Last Trumpet of the Air, a woman sitting in a cave symbolizes Earth, and the Sea is a woman sitting on a fish. The River of Fire flows from the feet of Christ towards the waiting figure of Satan sitting on a monster. On the other walls are scenes from The Miracles of the Archangel Michael. On the lowest register are Saints and Holy Monks.
Exonarthex he open exonarthex of the Moldovi]a T church is the biggest and the most open of this type of porch in Moldavia. Two-storey open exonarthexes had been built for the churches of P\rh\u]i in 1522 and Baia in 1532, but in comparison, they seem rather low and dark. In 1530, a true open exonarthex had been built for the church of Humor, and this served as a model for Moldovi]a. The distinctive feature of the exonarthex is the free connection with the exterior. The west wall is pierced with three tall and wide openings, as well as an open doorway. Both the north and south walls have an open doorway and a large window opening
West faรงade with its three big openings that make the exonarthex an airy and open space.
establish the dogmas of the Church. On the east wall lunette is the 1st Council that the Emperor Constantine the Great convoked in Nicaea. In front of him is the prostrate form of Arius, whose teachings on one undivided God were condemned as heresies. The other Councils go round the church and end on the north wall with the 7th Council, held also in Nicaea, this time under
days of heavenly birth of other saints and holy people, and important religious feast days. The calendar starts from the northeast corner of the east wall with September 1, which is the memorial day of St. Simeon Stylites. Each register illustrates one month, and each month starts from the same northeast corner. Important days of these first five months include The Birth of the Virgin
Pronaos Colourful frescoes on the exonarthex walls.
above. The space is vaulted with three cloister vaults that are painted with Cherubs, Seraphs and Angels. The whole east wall, as well as most of the surface of the south and north walls, are covered with The Last Judgment. Up in the central lunette of register II, is God inside a medallion. On either side are angels who hold open the gates of Heaven. On the side lunettes, and on the lunettes of the north and south walls, are the signs of The Zodiac and more angels who hold the white cloth that symbolizes time. On register III, just below the figure of God, is Christ the Judge surrounded by an eightpointed star and groups of angels. On the sides are Apostles and behind them The Heavenly
Host. Below Christ, on register IV, is The Throne of Hetoimasia or the Throne of the Second Coming of Christ, on which the Dove of the Holy Spirit sits. The Throne is painted to resemble a fortress with four corner towers made of precious stones. Adam and Eve kneel on the sides and the Hand of God weighs the souls below the Throne. On the left side of the wall, there are groups of Righteous, whom St. Peter leads towards Paradise. Inside the garden, which is painted on a white background, can be seen the figures of the three Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and the Holy Virgin. On the right side of the wall Moses leads groups of Damned towards the
ary 1, The Baptism of Jesus on January 6, and St. John the Baptist on January 7. The Menology continues on register VIII with the figures of bishops and saints, standing under painted arcades, but there are also other scenes on this register. On the west wall, south of the door, is The Holy Virgin Adored by Archangels. On the east wall, St. Peter and The Archangel Michael, and The Archangel Gabriel and St. Paul frame the doorway. Above the door is The Annunciation.
Burial Chamber
he pronaos is a slightly rectangular T room that is vaulted with one big stellar dome. On the dome is the figure of The Virgin Blacherniotissa, her hands held up in prayer, and the Child Jesus sitting in front of her. Angels in sinuous positions hold the first, painted, eight-pointed star that frames the Virgin. More Angels are painted on the eight triangular fields that form the points of the architectural star, and Prophets are depicted on the small triangular lu-nettes between the points. Four Byzantine Hymn Writers fill the triangular pendentives that support the dome. On the semicircular lunettes on register II of each wall, are painted The Seven Ecumenical Councils. The Councils were held be-tween the years 325 and 787 to
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he Menology continues on the low barT rel vault and walls of
The Virgin and the Child on the pronaos dome.
Constantine VI and Irene. All the seven paintings are very similar, with the Emperor sitting on a throne, the bishops and prelates sitting around him, and a group of soldiers standing behind the throne. Registers III-VII are filled with scenes from The Menology, the calendar of the Orthodox liturgical year. Here are depicted the gruesome deaths of martyrs, the
Mary on September 8, The Ascension of the Holy Cross on September 14, St. Luke the Evangelist on October 18, The Archangels on November 8, The Virgin's Entrance to the Temple on November 21, St. Andrew the Apostle on November 30, St. Nicholas on December 6, The Birth of Christ on December 25, The Escape to Egypt on December 26, The Circumcision on Janu-
the burial chamber. On the vault is the month of March in the usual square frames, but below it is a register of round medallions with icon-like portraits. Then continue the narrative scenes of the calendar. Above the east wall door, in a wide niche, is The Virgin Blacherniotissa with her hands held up in prayer. In front of her figure is the Child Jesus who extends his hands in blessing. In the north wall is a funeral niche with an ogee arch. Here is the tomb of Bishop Efrem, who contributed to the completion of the monastery by building the precinct walls and the treasury house. A spiral stairway leads
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THE PAINTED CHURCHES OF BUCOVINA
The Virgin and the Child on the east wall of the burial chamber.
from the northwest corner to the secret treasure room built above the burial chamber.
Naos and Chancel he tower of the naos is supported by the T two sets of oblique arches typical of the Moldavian style. On the dome of the naos is the monumental figure of Christ Pantocrator. There are no golden rays emanating from the Son of God, but there is a multicoloured glory and an eightpointed star around him. Between the points of the star are Seraphs. On the small triangular pendentives, there are Archangels, the wideopen wings perfectly filling the corners of the triangles. On the intradoses of the small arches between them, there are messianic Prophets. Be-tween the pendentives are four lunettes, on which are nearly
always painted The Annunciation, The Birth of Christ, The Presentation at the Temple and The Baptism. Below the lunettes, encircling the whole drum, is a row of icons in square frames. On the bigger triangular pendentives, there are the representations of the four Evangelists. The themes depicted in the naos are the themes seen in most other Moldavian churches: the Cycle of Christ's Passion, the Military Saints, the Holy Emperors Constantine and Helen, the Virgin Worshipped by the Archangels, and the votive painting. Register I of the naos is composed of the two apse vaults and the large lunette of the west wall. On the south apse vault is The Pentecost or The Descent of the Holy Spirit. The rays of the Holy Spirit are seen above the twelve apos-
tles who sit on a highbacked bench. Below them is Chronos, or Father Time who holds in his hands the scrolls of Time. On the west wall lunette is The Assumption of the Holy Virgin, where the figure of Christ stands behind the deathbed of his mother. On the vault of the north apse is The Crucifixion. This scene has been long considered one of the masterpieces of Moldavian art. The calm figure of Christ is isolated against the deep blue background, and in comparison the twisted form of the crucified robber on the right evinces the horrors a sinner faces in death. On register II are round medallions with figures of Prophets, Saints, Martyrs and Bishops. The Cycle of Christ's Passion fills register III. The cycle starts from the south wall with The Prayer on the Mountain. Then follow Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, The Betrayal of Judas and the exceptional The Denial of Peter. In the last scene the personages stand in strange counterpoise attitudes, some of them wearing occidental clothes. The long frieze of the west wall is composed of several scenes, as in most other churches: The Trial of Christ in front of High Priests Annas and Caiaphas, The Trial of Christ in front of Pilate and The Mocking of Christ. The
MOLDOVI}A MONASTERY scene of Jesus with Pilate is very uncommon, for in fact there is no trial shown here, but an intense dialogue between the two protagonists. The two are seen, not in the foreground, as usual, but on the city ramparts. Only here in Moldovi]a and in the church of Baia has the scene been painted in this way. The depth of feeling in the mute dialogue tells of the talent of a sensitive artist. The cycle continues on the north wall with The Way of the Cross, The Crucifixion, Taking Jesus Down from the Cross, and The Lament. On register IV are the graceful forms of the young warriors of the Church, The Military Saints. On the south wall is the usual scene of The Virgin and Child Adored by the Archangels. On the south side of the west wall is the votive painting. Petru Rare[, his wife Elena, and their two young sons, Ilia[ and {tefan, stand in front of Christ on his throne. The Virgin Mary acts as a mediator in the donation of the church. The figures of the princely family lack the expressiveness seen in many other votive paintings. The faces are round and nearly putty-like, and the yellow robes seem to form a flat monotonous surface. On the north side of the doorway are The Holy Emperors St. Constantine and Helen. Above
The votive painting in the naos shows the Prince and his family donating the church to Christ.
the door is The Mandylion, the face of Christ imprinted on a cloth. The splendid gilded iconostasis lightens up the space. It is younger than the mural paintings, but can still be dated back to the 16th century. On either side of the richly carved imperial doors in the middle of the iconostasis, there are the imperial icons of The Holy Virgin and the Child and Jesus Christ. The two deacon's doors are painted with the two archangels Michael and Gabriel. Beside the deacon's doors are two other imperial icons, but placed obliquely against the walls, St. John the Baptist by the north wall, and The Annunciation by the south wall. Above, there are thirteen round medallions with The Great Feasts.
Then comes a register of Apostles with an icon of Deisis in the centre. Deisis, or the Intercession Prayer, has in the middle the figure of Christ on his throne with the Virgin Mary and St. John the Baptist on either side. Above the Deisis is The Holy Trinity, with the Father,
the Son and the Holy Spirit. On either side are Prophets. A painted icon of The Crucifixion surmounts the iconostasis. Beyond the iconostasis can be glimpsed the vault of the chancel. On the vault is painted The Virgin and Child, surrounded by angels and, quite unusually, the parents of the Virgin, Anne and Joachim. Otherwise, on the chancel walls are painted the usual scenes for this liturgical space: The Washing of the Feet, The Bread Eucharist, The Wine Eucharist and The Last Supper. Below are the Hierarchs, who are turned towards the axis of the chancel, and The Lamb on the embrasure of the window. Above the window, there is the figure of The Mandylion, or the face of Christ imprinted on a cloth.
The iconostasis divides the chancel from the naos.
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