Voronets Monastery. Voronet Monastery in Romania Voronet Monastery Romania

The Voronets Monastery is called the Sistine Chapel of the East for the unique 16th-century painting on the external walls of the cathedral church of St. George the Victorious. The frescoes, executed on blue, azure and light blue backgrounds, illustrate biblical scenes. The most interesting in terms of technique and rich shades of blue is the fresco of the Last Judgment on the western wall. The church was built in a record time: three months and three weeks, as stated in the memorial inscription located above the entrance to the temple.

Founded in 1488, the Voronet Monastery is an example of typical monastic construction in 15th-century Romania: a fortified outer wall, several cells for monks, heraldic motifs interior decoration territory and katholikon - a cathedral church with painted walls inside and outside, Gothic arches and small windows. The original frescoes have been preserved in full color only on a few church walls.

During the summer months, a fair is held next to the monastery, where you can buy wooden, forged and embroidered products from local craftsmen.

How to get there

The monastery is located in the village of Voronet, in northeastern Romania. The closest town to the village is Gura Humorului, 5 kilometers away. You can get to Voronets from Gura-Gumorului by taxi, as well as by regular buses running between settlements several times a day.

You can also reach the monastery by car. From Gura Humorului, head south on the E 576. Once you pass the Pension Casa Humor on the right side of the road, turn left and continue to your destination.

Moscow-Antalya-3. Romania: Voronet Monastery. Day 3. June 30th, 2011

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So, while looking around, we quietly drove up to Voronets. The monastery itself was not yet visible, but there was a high fence, a parking lot, where we even managed to find some shade, as well as a market where all sorts of popular nonsense was sold. After wandering around a bit, we found an entrance that didn’t stand out in any way, and, after reading the announcement about the uniform, we stomped back to the car to change my clothes. Thank God, there were no problems with the wardrobe, we had half an apartment in the trunk! :)) So instead of a T-shirt and shorts, I was wearing a decent dress, and a light shirt to cover my shoulders. Finally, having purchased tickets, we got inside the fence.

And there we immediately saw what we wanted, namely the Church of St. George the Victorious:

The monastery is small, to be honest. Not the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, yes.)) But it’s not every day that you get to see a religious building where the icons are not inside, but outside. Looks very interesting..))

No one knows the exact date of foundation of the monastery, but legend says that the monastery was built in 1488 by ruler Stefan III the Great - in honor of the brilliant victory over the Ottomans in the Battle of Vaslui. Before the battle, Stefan turned to a monk who lived in Voronets, Daniel the Hermit, for advice. He promised the saint that if he defeated the enemy, a monastery would appear in the village - and he kept his word.

Of course, the church was especially successful: small, pretty, like a toy, with a cute twist in the form of frescoes. We looked at them carefully:

In fact, the Serpent and I are not very religious, we mostly profess indifference, but those who are in the know will probably see familiar stories there:

We decided to go around the church in a circle since we had already arrived, fortunately there was no distance..))
Inside the church, at the entrance, there was a brisk trade in shrines:

A group of foreigners listened attentively to the guide:

I also stopped to listen, but soon realized that the information received flew right through my ears, without stopping inside for a minute. In general, as usual..)))

Citizens periodically approached some iron structures, the shape of which strongly resembled coffins. It turned out that they were lighting candles:

From the inside out, the church no longer looked so elegant:

Either the wind is blowing more from that side, or they haven’t been supplied with paint for a long time:

And finally, we took a look inside. And I must say that the strict aunt who sold us the ticket (and who, it seemed, wanted to sell everything else she had on display in her shop)

... she sternly warned us that taking photos inside the church was not allowed. But I am for freedom of speech and photographs, besides, I won’t be me if I don’t break the law at least a little, right?.. ;)) So, seizing the moment when there were fewer people around, I took a couple of shots.

Voronets is a small village in Romania, near the city of Gura Humorului. We couldn’t help but go there and here’s why. It is in the town of Voronets that the pearl is located of Eastern Europe– Voronets Monastery. This is a unique building, but not in architectural terms, the Voronet Monastery was built, after all, in the monastery style typical of Romania in the 15th century, but the paintings, frescoes, are... something unsurpassed. From the monastery, only the Church of St. George the Victorious has survived to this day. There is nothing like it anywhere in the world. Stefan III, ruler of the Principality of Moldova, founded it in 1488. This has been preserved.

For the heavenly azure of the frescoes, the Voronets Monastery is called nothing less than the Sistine Chapel of Eastern Europe. Scenes of the Last Judgment are painted on the outside of the monastery in rich blue shades and original techniques, the secrets of which are lost forever.

On some frescoes, the colors do not lose their original brightness and saturation, and have survived in their original form to this day. Inside the monastery, the walls and ceiling are also decorated with frescoes depicting biblical scenes.

The Voronet Monastery in the 15th century was surrounded by an external wall, it contained monastic cells, and the territory of the monastery contained the main motifs of the heraldry of the 15th century, inherent in the monastic Romanian style. The apses of the Church of St. George, the portico and the cella with the tower are all from the 15th century and delight our eyes and awaken our imagination even today.

I would like to tell you about one more interesting recording that has come down to us in its original form. It evokes affection, despite the fact that at one time it most likely caused censure. This is an inscription made on the walls of the church by some Hans, on German in 1607, "Hans was here."

The Church of St. George is the only surviving monastery building, perhaps due to the fact that St. Daniel the Hermit, who guards it, rests here?

Since 1993, the Voronets Monastery has become a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as evidenced by the entry in the UNESCO list of “Churches historical region Moldova".

Voronet Monastery (Romanian: Mănăstirea Voroneț) is one of the monasteries of Southern Bukovina, located in the village of Voronet, in northeastern Romania near the city of Gura Humorului. The monastery is famous for its temple - the Church of St. George the Victorious, painted both on the inside and on the outside. and included in the list in 1993 World Heritage UNESCO.

The monastery was founded by the ruler of the Principality of Moldova, Stefan III the Great, in honor of the victory in the Battle of Vaslui and was built from May to November 1488. According to legend, Stefan, in one of the unfavorable moments of the war with Ottoman Empire came to the monk Daniel the Hermit who lived in Voronets for advice. After winning the battle, he kept his promise to Daniel and founded a monastery in Voronets, dedicating the main church to St. George, who brought victory in the battle. The church was built in a record time: three months and three weeks, as stated in the memorial inscription located above the entrance to the temple.

This is one of the most valuable monasteries founded by Stephen the Great. Few monuments of religious architecture in the north of Moldova have been preserved in their original form. The narthex of the church was added in 1547 by Metropolitan Gregory Roshka; At the same time, the external painting of the facades was completed. The outer walls are painted from the foundation to the cornices, and the western wall of the narthex is completely closed.

The church is small in size (25.5 m without the vestibule, 7.7 m - the length of the naos and pronaos, 10.5 m in width including the side apses).

At first, the Voronets monastery was for men, but monastic life was interrupted in 1786. Restored in 1991, the monastery resumed its activities as a convent. The church is built of stone, has a trefoil shape, and the interior space is traditionally divided into the altar, naos, pronaos and narthex. The apses of the naos are little pronounced; The naos is separated from the pronaos by a wall more than 1 meter thick.

The interior and exterior paintings, completed in 1534-1535 and 1547, are impressive with painterly techniques and colors, characterized by harmony of colors, compositional dynamics and monumentality. All external painting and famous Blue colour Voronets Monastery has no analogues in the world.

The interior painting of the monastery is dated for the most part the time of Stephen the Great; The painting of the votive in the naos depicts Stephen the Great next to his wife Maria Voykitsa, a little girl and the future ruler Bogdan.

The Last Judgment scene painted in 1547 on the western facade earned the monument the name Sistine Chapel of the East; on south side the scene of the Tree of Jesse is located; on the left side of the entrance you can see the images of Metropolitan Gregory Roshka and the pious Daniel the Hermit, and above him, next to the Scripture, there is an iconographic composition of the Deesis. Some biblical stories presented by the artists were secularized, thus the lives of the saints were brought closer to Moldavian customs and activities. So, Adam plows the land, and Eve spins. The scenes of the martyrdom of St. John the New from Cetati Alba and the delivery of the relics to Suceava are filled with particular drama.

The stone bell tower contains two bells donated to the monastery by Stephen the Great. In the courtyard you can see traces of other medieval buildings: cells, royal chambers, now destroyed.
The Voronet Monastery is one of the first Moldovan monuments, distinguished by its own style, a unique synthesis of Byzantine, Gothic and national elements.

We spent the whole day visiting the famous painted monasteries of Bukovina. There are almost two dozen medieval monasteries in the foothills of the Carpathians. The most famous among them is the Voronets Monastery.

Voronets Monastery. Founding legend

The Moldavian ruler Stefan III the Great, preparing for the battle with the Ottoman Turks, went to Daniel the Hermit. The Lord decided to ask him for advice and blessings. Daniel had the gift of foresight and promised Stefan heavenly help if he made a vow to found a monastery in Voronets, hitherto unprecedented.

Fresco depicting Daniel the Hermit (right) from the Voronets Monastery

Daniel the Hermit ordered the monastery to be dedicated to Saint George the Victorious, the patron saint of the Orthodox army.
Stephen the Great met Suleiman Pasha at the Battle of Vaslui. It happened on January 10, 1475. Thirteen years later, in 1488, Stefan ordered the construction of a temple in honor of St. George.

Voronets Monastery. Neighborhood

On the way to the Voronets monastery, we drove through the town of Hura-Humorului. At the end of the road there is an extensive paid parking lot. Around it there are many souvenir shops and guest houses for pilgrims.

The village and monastery stand on the banks of the river. At the beginning of May the river was almost dry. But judging by the rocky riverbed and tree trunks, in early spring a stormy mountain stream rushes here.


There is a village street along the river where you can park your car for free. Follow the sign to the monastery gate.
At the entrance to the monastery there is a table with visiting rules. Smoking and inappropriate clothing are prohibited on the premises.
Entrance to the monastery is paid, you have to pay separately for photos. It cost 20 lei for two people, and they don’t allow rent in the church. The ticket office and souvenir kiosk are located in the gate tower.

Voronets Monastery. Architectural ensemble

We are accustomed to Russian monasteries that resemble fortified cities. Many Western monasteries also occupy vast areas. These are, for example, . But Romanian monasteries are very small. The powerful stone walls serve as a reminder of the constant Turkish threat. Along the walls there are cell buildings and outbuildings.

It seemed to me that the cells were built quite recently. It is possible that this is so, because the Austrian authorities closed the monastery in 1786. The Church of St. George was converted into a parish. During Ceausescu's time, the communist regime closed many Romanian churches. The Voronets Monastery was restored only in 1991.

Voronets Monastery. Church of St. George

The main temple of the monastery was built in four months in 1488 according to the vow of Stephen the Great. The votive fresco, which we were unable to photograph, depicts the temple builder with a model of the church.

Initially, the temple consisted only of a naos (central room for worshipers), topped with a tower reaching into the sky. The naos is surrounded by three semicircular apses. The altar occupies the eastern apse.
In 1547, Metropolitan Grigoriu Rosca ordered the construction of a narthex, that is, the vestibule of the temple.


The architecture of the church is an early example of a special Moldavian style. It combines Byzantine, Gothic and Moldavian architectural details. Byzantium is represented by a three-part naos in plan, topped with a tower. Gothic style was reflected in the pointed arches of the windows and buttresses, and local features were expressed in the niches on the cornice and the blind arcade on the apses.

Voronets Monastery. Frescoes

Unfortunately, we were not able not only to photograph the interior frescoes, but even to enter the church. We arrived at the Voronets Monastery on Sunday morning, when the second liturgy was going on. The church was literally packed with people.
The naos preserves paintings from the late 15th century from the time of Stephen the Great. Frescoes of the Passion of the Lord include the Entry into Jerusalem, the Prayer on the Mount of Olives and the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

On the inner wall separating the naos and narthex, the chety-menaion, that is, the Orthodox calendar with images of saints and martyrs, is written.
Grigoriu Rosca was an outstanding theologian and personally monitored the work of the unknown master monks. As a result, they managed to create a mural of exceptional beauty and expressiveness. Romanian frescoes are compared with the paintings of the Sistine Chapel, St. Mark's Cathedral in Venice, and the temples of Siena and Assisi.
The Western wall is entirely occupied by the Last Judgment.

On the southern wall is the Tree of Jesse.

Next to the Tree of Jesse on the southern wall you can see the Passion of the Lord and the life of St. Nicholas.

Under the lancet window, the ancient masters painted an excellent Savior. On His left is the Mother of God, on His right hand is John the Baptist.

We have already shown a fresco with the founder of the monastery, Saint Daniel the Hermit. Next to him they wrote Metropolitan Grigoriu Rosca. He is rightfully considered the second founder of the church. The inscriptions on the frescoes are in Cyrillic, because the Romanians switched to the Latin alphabet only in the middle of the 19th century.
The Deesis on the eastern wall includes dozens of figures of saints and forms a real procession. It occupies the apse and buttresses of the church.

Over the past centuries, bad weather has severely damaged and in some places destroyed the frescoes of the northern wall. In the uppermost register, scenes of the life of Adam and Eve in Eden, the Fall and expulsion from Paradise are preserved. In the lower registers, the Annunciation, Mary and Elizabeth and other episodes of the Apocrypha have survived.

The Voronet Monastery is considered one of the most famous monuments of Romanian Orthodox culture. It is not for nothing that UNESCO included Voronets on the World Cultural Heritage List 25 years ago.