The Painted Monasteries of Bucovina
Trip Start
Sep 01, 2006
1
8
14
Trip End
Sep 11, 2006
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Wednesday, September 6, 2006
The Painted Monasteries of Bucovina
Midnight Roman (a village in Romania) Time
Dear Readers:
Having survived (just barely) a night at Dracula's Hotel, we continue our journey through the Tihuta mountain pass at 9:00am, stopping occasionally for photos of the stunning landscape. Descending on the other side we enter as idyllic a land as I have ever seen in the province of Moldavia. The green pasturelands and forested hills remind me of Switzerland.
Our object today is visiting several of the world famous painted monasteries, most of which came into being in the 16th Century during a time when northern Moldavia was threatened by Turkish invaders
01 Tihuta Pass View
. Armies would gather inside the monasteries fortified walls waiting to do battle. The scenes painted on the exterior of these buildings were intended to entertain and educate these illiterate men, and the images tend toward the dramatic, including many beheadings of Saints, scenes of battles, and particularly horrifying visions of the Last Judgement. What is most amazing about these sites is the fact that the colors on even the outdoor frescoes are still vivid after hundreds of years of sun, wind, rain and fairly inclement weather.Our first stop is at the Moldovita Monastery inside a large and impressive fortress. Since it is the first one we have seen, it is the one that impresses me most mightily of those we see today. It is peaceful, surrounded by mountains, fragrant with flowers, not beset with a lot of people, and the main exterior frescoes are, at the moment we arrive, perfectly illuminated by sunlight. This monastery has had extensive restoration work, and the interior images have mostly been cleaned to their original beauty.
The drive to our next monastery, the Sucevita Monastery, winds through beautiful hills and pastures and alpine villages. Horse-drawn wagons are everywhere, and people are in the fields mowing the hay with long scythes, raking it up and arranging it in piles
02 Horses with Tassels
. There are charming hay stacks in almost every field, and we often have to swerve wide to avoid an overloaded hay wagon.We have a wonderful lunch just before arriving in Sucevita at a place that was once visited by Prince Charles (a photo of him there was in the lobby). Unfortunately, we don't really know what we are ordering exactly because the menu isn't in English. The guy next to me orders what he thinks is a mushroom salad, and is astonished to have a plate of pickles delivered when the rest of us receive a mixed salad. Ah, the adventures on Toto Tours extend even to the culinary. We order him a salad like the rest of us, but pass around the pickles to enjoy. Unbeknownst to us, we ordered two plates of cooked mushrooms in cream sauce accompanied by polenta. They are also happily passed around the table and devoured.
We enter the Sucevita Monastery next. One of its most distinctive images is called the Virtuous Ladder fresco, depicting the 30 steps from Hell to Paradise. Guardian angles encourage the sinners up the stairs, but devils and sometimes the weight of one's own sins cause many to fall into Hell before making it all the way to the safety of Jesus holding out his hands at the top of the ladder.
03 Green and Fertile Landscape
A brief stop at Marginea allows us to stretch and watch potters making some of the black earthenware and pottery for which this village is famous. A few items are purchased at an adjoining souvenir shop.
The Voronet Monastery is our next stop. It is famous for its Last Judgement fresco that fills an entire wall. At the top, angels are rolling up the signs of the zodiac to symbolize the end of time. The blue pigment used throughout this monastery's frescoes is known worldwide as "Vorornet blue" because it is impossible to replicate this vibrant, satiny hue elsewhere.
Finally we visit the Humor Monastery. It has the most impressive interior frescoes, but many on the exterior are in bad condition. Several of us amuse ourselves climbing a large tower to look over the area. A priest, who comes out to bless a brand new automobile, sprinkling Holy Water on all vital parts, entertains the others who didn't make the climb.
Our visit to the last monastery concludes by about 6:00pm, and we have an hour and a half to drive before we arrive at our dinner restaurant called Hanu Ancutei
04 Exterior Fortress of the Moldovita Monastery
. It is large, beautifully decorated, and obviously intended for tourist groups although we are almost the only ones in the place. A three-piece band (violin, accordion, and horribly out of tune bass) plays curious collections of well-known waltzes and obscure Romanian gallops.Anxious to get to our final destination and hotel, we wolf down the chicken sour soup (a Romanian specialty), stuffed grape leaves, and fantastic sweet cake dessert before racing off again. The Roman Hotel is clean and fairly new, and I am delighted to learn that I have wireless internet in my room. It will be the first time I have been able to post to my blog since departing Bucharest. I see a long night in my future, so I'd better get to it!
Hugs,
Dan
