Eastern Orthodox (Christianity)
Mănăstirea Voroneț
Voroneț Monastery
“A painted church whose outer walls are covered with scripture, in Voroneț blue”
Scenes
Meaning
In the middle of a forest-ringed lawn, the church's entire outer wall is covered with frescoes of saints, angels, and the Last Judgment. Across a deep, vivid blue that has held for five hundred years, a black-cowled monk passes quietly.
A 15th-century Moldavian monastery, it is regarded as one of the 'painted monasteries' of Bucovina whose outer church walls are entirely covered with scriptural frescoes. Said to have been meant to convey scripture in images to those who could not read, its deep, enduring blue is called 'Voroneț blue' and understood as the Sistine Chapel of the East. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Field notes
- Location
- Bucovina · Romania · N47.5° · E25.9°
- Best time
- A clear day, when the light brightens the walls
- Getting there
- From Suceava in Romania, by car to the village of Voroneț in Bucovina.
- Etiquette
- A place of continuing monastic life; visitors do not touch the frescoes and keep quiet and modestly dressed.
Sources
- · UNESCO World Heritage
- · Encyclopaedia Britannica
Photographs are freely licensed works from Wikimedia Commons and similar sources; the author and license appear beneath each image.