Voronet | Sistine Chapel of the East - the blue that will last forever

By
Catalina

July 29, 2018

This post is also available in: Română

Construction Year	1488
Type	Monastery / UNESCO
Style	Moldavian
Founder	Stephen the Great of Moldavia
Getting there	Car, bus (from Gura Humorului), 3 ½-mile walk from Gura Humorului Nearest train stations: Gura Humorului The closest airports are located in Suceava (SCV) – www.aeroportsuceava.ro Iasi (IAS) – www.aeroport.ro.
When to visit	Monday – Sunday, 9 am – 6:30 pm Admission fee: 5 lei ($1.5) Camera/ Photo fee: 10 Lei ($2.5)
Location	Strada Voronet 166, Gura Humorului, Suceava County, 725300

Voronet Monastery – One of the Painted Monasteries of Moldova

The Voronet Monastery is a medieval monastery in the Romanian village of Voronet, now a part of the town Gura Humorului
It is one of the famous painted monasteries from southern Bucovina, in Suceava County
The monastery was constructed by Stephen the Great in 1488 over a period of 3 months and 3 weeks

Often known as the “Sistine Chapel of the East”, the frescoes at Voronet feature an intense shade of blue known in Romania as “Voronet blue”
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.

The legend of the origin of the church unites two men from Romanian history: the founder of the monastery, Stephen the Great, and Saint Daniil the Hermit, the first abbot of the monastery.
The tomb of Saint Daniil is located within the monastery. On his tombstone, carved according to the wishes of Stephen the Great, it is written: “This is the tomb of our father David, the schema-monk Daniil”.

Included today on the UNESCO World Heritage List together with six more churches from the region, this religious monument is a unique symbol of how local medieval princes emphasized their great support for the Orthodox faith
About 20 resident nuns live at the Voronet Monastery.
Its frescoes highlighted the moral stories of the Bible
In the Ladder of Virtues fresco, the righteous ascend to heaven while sinners descend to hell

The largest of all is on the western wall, the scene of the ‘Last Judgment’.
In the lower part, the image of heaven appears in opposition to the river of fire and a very happy Satan that greets the sinners. The angels Michael and Peter have key roles, one opening the gates of heaven while the other pushes sinners to hell. A rare image is the ‘Ressurection of the Dead’ painted across from Moses leading the non-Christians to judgment. In the upper scene, next to the Throne of Judgement, groups of saints who already made it to heaven sit close to Jesus portrayed as Great Judge. A rare representation of God and the angels that fold a scroll with the zodiacal signs, a symbol for the end of time as we know it, occupy the last two registers.
To make it more representative for the local community, the painters added some symbols of local culture including musical instruments, traditional clothing, and nearby landscapes.
Many more symbolic characters, including Adam and Eve, Cain, and Abel are painted on other exterior walls of the monastery.
Portraits of ancient Greek philosophers, such as Aristotle and Plato, are featured in the Tree of Jesus fresco.