The Ultimate Travel Guide to visit Painted Monasteries of Moldova

Arbore Monastery

Location: Arbore, Suceava County

In 1503, Luca Arbore, the Suceava porter, ascends a church with the help of his lord in the village that bears his name today.

Why visit?

• UNESCO – World Heritage Site – One of the Painted Churches of Moldavia.
• The green is in five shadows and 47 hues combined with red, blue, yellow, pink and ochre.
• The frescoes depict religious and historical scenes: The Hymn of the Prayers to the Virgin, The Siege of Constantinople, The Last Judgment, The Prodigal Son, and many others.

Sucevita Monastery

Location: DN17A 169, Sucevita 727510, Romania

High walls and heavily buttressed defensive towers surround the great monastic complex of Sucevita, giving it the appearance of a fortress.

Why to visit?

• UNESCO – World Heritage Site – One of the Painted Churches of Moldavia.
• The most outstanding fresco is the Ladder of Virtue.
• The frescoes are in brilliant reds and blues against a ground of emerald green and must have been magnificent when freshly painted.
• The largest and most precious collection of medieval art in Moldova can be found at the museum of the Sucevita Monastery.
• The road to Sucevita Monastery is one of the most beautiful roads from Bucovina.
• Don’t miss to visit Marginea village where the black color of pottery is obtained without adding anything to the clay paste, located 10 kilometers from the monastery.

Humor Monastery

Location: Manastirea Humorului, Suceava County, Romania

Humor was one of the first of Moldavia’s painted monasteries and, along with Voronet, is probably the best-preserved.

Why visit?

• UNESCO – World Heritage Site – One of the Painted Churches of Moldavia.
• The frescos at Humor were painted in 535 by Toma Zugravul and are dominated by reds (the color of red brick).
• In 1641 a protective tower was built, with a thick wall of stone, and characteristic of the fortified churches in Transylvania, it has a coronation balcony.

Voronet Monastery

Location: Voronet, Gura Humorului, Suceava County, Romania

Voronet azure blue is the dominant color, made with crushed azurite mixed with a mysterious substance that makes the hue lighter, more vivid. Anyway, the color composition remained a mystery until thorough lab tests were done.

Why visit?

• UNESCO – World Heritage Site – One of the Painted churches of Moldavia.
• To see the famous Voronet azure blue color
• Often known as the “Sistine Chapel of the East”, the frescoes at Voroneț feature an intense shade of blue known in Romania as “Voroneț blue”

Moldovita Monastery

Location: Vatra Moldovitei, Suceava County 

The Moldovita Monastery is a Romanian Orthodox monastery situated in the commune of Vatra Moldovitei, Suceava County, Moldavia, Romania.

Why visit?

• The museum of the monastery preserves today manuscripts from the 15th century, which refers to the way of organizing the monastery school and to the cultural activity in general.
• Moldovita’s frescoes represent biblical stories like the Tree of Jesse, the Akathystos Hymn, the Last Judgment, and the Great Prayer of All Saints.
• Go to the Painted Eggs Museum Lucia Condrea, located just a few minutes from the monastery.