By Octavian-Adrian Negoiță | Institute for the History of Religions, Romanian Academy

Description 

Voroneț Monastery is one of the most renowned monastic centers of Eastern Europe, located on the eastern slopes of the Carpathian Mountains and in the southern part of Bucovina (Romania). Its foundation was sponsored by the Moldavian prince Stephen the Great (r. 1457–1504), who ordered its construction in celebration of his victory over the Ottoman Turks at Valea Albă in 1476. The monastery was built in 1488 during a relatively short period between May 26 and September 14, on the site of an older wooden church. The new church was dedicated to St. George. The katholikon (main church) is situated at the center of the monastic courtyard, which is surrounded by tall walls of stone, as well as other buildings such as the refectory, cells, and rooms used for various monastic activities. On the southeastern side of the courtyard there is a bell tower built of stone with the bells offered by the patron at the monastery’s dedication.

The entire architecture is representative of the so-called “Moldavian style”, which developed through local adaptations of building and decorating traditions characteristic of Byzantine, Slavic, and western Gothic models. The katholikon presents a triconch plan with apses at the altar and in the northern and southern sides of the naos. Moreover, it follows the usual division of the space into altar, naos, and pronaos. The katholikon received a closed porch in 1547 during the reign of lord Peter Rareș (r. I: 1527–38; II. 1541–46), the son of Stephen the Great. An iconostasis of sculpted yew tree separates the naos from the altar, while the naos is separated from the pronaos by a tall wall that has an arched entrance in the middle. The naos has a narrow dome supported by four large arches at the base and four other smaller arches placed above the large ones. The pronaos has four arches that support a closed dome. The pronaos is also separated by the closed porch by a wall. The porch has an arched ceiling that stretches from its northern to southern side. Above the entrance from the porch to the pronaos there is an inscription in Slavonic about the foundation of the monastery. The closed porch features on each side (north and south) entrances above which there are large windows with Gothic tracery.

The Moldavian architectural style of the monastery is visible through the exterior niches under the cornice, the arches in the apse, and the glazed disks embedded in the upper portion of the exterior. The facades also include decorations, rows of ceramic enameled discs in relief of heraldic motifs (rampant lion, the aurochs’ head of the Moldavian coat of arms, and even creatures of Western European medieval literature, such as the two tailed mermaids), while the vaulting designs of the pronaos and naos domes feature also a “local” character.

Moreover, the church also presents elements of late Gothic style: its tall walls, the massive buttresses on the exterior walls, the frames of the doors, and the frames of the windows placed above the main entrances displaying a broken arch, but also the style of the sculpted stone derive from Gothic models. Apart from the closed exonarthex, the church has small windows of rectangular frames, as well as the southern and northern doors of the pronaos. The church’s roof follows a traditional Moldavian model with wide eaves and built of small wooden tiles, used also in the building of local houses.

Besides its complex architectural style, Voroneț Monastery is known mostly for its superb frescoes painted on the inner and outer walls of the church. The frescoes inside the church follow to a great degree the norms of the Byzantine church painting for all the four divisions (altar, naos, pronaos and exonarthex), but with features specific to the churches built by Stephen the Great (e.g., the interior presents many Christological and Mariological scenes). Moreover, in the naos there is the votive fresco (1496) of Stephen and his Lady Maria-Voichița, along with their son the prince of Moldavia Bogdan III the Blind (r. 1504–17). On the ceiling of the pronaos is represented the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child surrounded by angels. The closed porch received the Christian calendar that consists of saints and scenes from their lives arranged from September to August.

Unfortunately, because of weather damage, most of the frescoes painted outside on the northern walls and outside the naos’ dome are badly damaged or lost today. The western wall displays a complex fresco of the Last Judgment that brings together multiple themes and figures. In part, the particular “blue of Voroneț” has also drawn parallels with the Sistine Chapel frescoes. The other facades of the porch display themes from the life of Sts Nicholas and John the New of Suceava, while on the buttresses St. George Killing the Dragon and the Tolls of Heavens are painted. On the facades of the pronaos and naos the iconography follows the traditional hermeneutical indications: the walls of the lateral apses and the altar received the scene of the Heavenly and Earthly Hierarchy (i.e., the procession of all saints from the Old and New Testaments heading towards the East). On the southern facade of the pronaos there is the Tree of Jesse with frescoes of the Ancient Greek and Latin philosophers, also known as the Genealogical Tree of Jesus Christ. The third theme painted is the Akathist Hymn (partly lost today), which is placed on the northern facade of the church. On the left side of the church entrance are rendered the silhouettes of St Daniel the Hermit (d. 1496), a renowned spiritual figure in Moldavia, and Metropolitan Gregory Roșca (1480–1570), who are also considered the founders (ktetors) of the monastery.

Significance 

The Moldavian chronicler Ion Neculce (1672–1745) included in his chronicle the story of the foundation of Voronet Monastery. It mentions Stephen visiting Daniel the Hermit at Voroneț during his travels to northern Moldavia from Neamț. Stephen confessed to the great hermit telling him that he is concerned about his Turkish wars that he does not see a victory ahead. Daniel comforted the lord and told him that he will win the wars only if he builds a monastery at Voroneț. Regardless of the legend that surrounds the beginnings of Voroneț Monastery, it is certain that both Stephen the Great and Daniel the Hermit played a crucial part in the monastery’s foundation. The beginnings of the monastery are also connected, through Daniel’s activities, to the hesychast movement that took place in Moldavia at the end of the 15th century. Daniel himself is buried in the pronaos of the monastery.

An important turn in the monastery’s history is the year 1547 when Metropolitan Gregory Roșca enlarged the church, added the closed exonarthex, and, more importantly, embellished the facades with frescoes (the frescoes from the interior of the porch date also from this period; whereas those of the naos and altar from Stephen’s times). Scholars argued that the frescoes of the facades belong in fact to the age of lord Peter Rareș, and are connected thus with the churches of Probota, Humor, Moldovița and Arbore, which follow in that tradition but date to later. For his activity at the monastery, Metropolitan Roșca is the third founder (ktetor) of Voroneț. The beautiful shade of blue of the exterior frescoes, obtained by the painters by adding in the composition of the paint a mineral called azurite, made scholars consider this as important as the red of the Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640) or the green of the Renaissance painter Paolo Veronese (1528–88).

The meaning of the exterior paintings has its own story. In the scene of the Last Judgment, which describes a classical eschatological scenario with Christ judging over the entire world, the Turks that are placed among the foreign people will be convicted by Christ. The Turks were the enemies of the state and therefore the fresco encapsulates also a political meaning. Similarly, the 12 frescoes representing the martyrdom of John the New and the transition of his relics to Suceava was of particular importance for Metropolitan Roșca, who decided on their painting on the south facade, near the entrance. St John was martyred by the Tatars, and the frescoes have thus both a political and a religious perspective. The frescoes with scenes from the lives of Sts Nicholas and Anthony, the founder of Eastern monasticism, to which can be added the fresco of the Tolls of Heavens, are characteristic for the monastic milieu. Nevertheless, all the frescoes speak of the autochthonous life in Moldavia: Adam and Eve are represented engaged in the works of Moldavian peasants, as Eve purrs wool and Adam is driving a cart with bulls; the angels from the Last Judgment scene are blowing in buciums (Moldavian horns), while the householders from the Parable of the Prodigal Son are bound together in a traditional Moldavian dance (hora); other figures are represented as Moldavian nobles or as simple peasants, as representative for the cultural life of Voroneț.

From its foundation until 1785, Voroneț functioned as a monastery of monks. During this period, the monastery experienced a flourishing phase as local leaders and nobles gifted the monastery with estates, monetary donations, books, and other liturgical objects. In 1785, after the Habsburg conquest of the northern part of Moldavia, the monastery became one of the 23 monasteries whose monastic life was abolished by the new rulers. It functioned only as a parish church, while most of its possessions were transferred to other monasteries from the region (Dragomirna, Sucevița, Putna). The monks had to leave the establishment, while the monastic buildings slowly turned into ruins. After 1918, the state turned toward Voroneț and declared it a historical monument. Under the Communist regime, the religious importance of the monastery was ignored, and it was recognized only as a historical and artistic monument, as the liturgical service and monastic activities were forbidden. Nevertheless, in 1991, after the fall of Communism, the Holy Synod of the Romanian Church reopened Voroneț and decided to turn it into a nunnery; it functions as such until today. Since 1993, the monastery has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Voroneț Monastery still plays an important role in the monastic life of Eastern Europe. Its name is bound to the many works of art preserved either at the monastery or in other collections. The funerary stones of the tombs placed in the pronaos, the sculpted furniture inside the church, embroideries, the precious liturgical objects, and the frescoes make Voroneț one of the most significant monastic establishments and an important center of culture in the region. Lastly, the oldest Romanian manuscripts – the Codex of Voroneț and the Psalterion of Voroneț, both produced in the 16th century at the monastery – are indicative for the monastery’s literary activity in Moldavia.

Further Reading

Cincheza-Buculei, E. “Le programme iconographique du narthex de l`église du monastère de Voroneț.” Revue Roumaine d’Histoire de l’Art – Série Beaux-Arts 30 (1993): 3–23.

This study offers a discussion over the iconographic program of the monastery’s narthex and points to its specificities during the Steven the Great’s era.

Ciobanu, C. I. “Programul iconografic al bisericii Sfântul Gheorghe a mănăstirii Voroneț” [The Iconographic Program of the Church of Saint George at Voroneț Monastery]. Arta: Arte plastice, arhitectura, musică, teatru, cinema (2010): 5–21.

This study offers another discussion over the iconographic program of the monastery’s church and discusses its features and dating.

Ciobanu, C. I. “Profețiile înțelepților antichității de la biserica sfântul Gheorghe a mănăstirii Voroneț” [The Prophecies of Ancient Philosophers from the Church of St George of Voroneț Monastery]. Studii și cercetări de istoria artei – Seria Arte Plastice 45, no. 1 (2011): 11–32.

This study discusses the scene of the ancient philosophers painted on the exterior facade of the church.

Firea, E. “Visual Strategies in Promoting New Saints in 16th-Century Moldavia.” IKON: Journal of Iconographic Studies 14 (2021): 269–78.

This study discusses the frescoes commissioned by the Metropolitan Grigorie Roșca (St John the New and St Daniel the Hermit) and the strategies employed for promoting local saints.

Luția, O. “Legenda Sf. Ioan cel Nou de la Suceava în frescurile din Voroneț” [The Legend of John the New of Suceava in the Frescoes at Voroneț]. Codrul Cosminului 1 (1924): 281–354.

This study discusses the frescoes representing the martyrdom and the translation of St John the New’s relics to Suceava, providing a detailed discussion over its meaning.

Mitric, O. “Nouveaux éléments concernant la datation des iconostases des monastères de Voroneț et de Moldovița.” Revue Roumaine d’Histoire de l’Art – Série Beaux-Arts 41–42, no. 10 (2005): 103–6.

This study analyzes the iconostases of these two monasteries founded by Steven the Great and provides a discussion over their dating.

Sullivan, A. I. The Eclectic Visual Culture of Medieval Moldavia. Leiden–Boston: Brill, 2023.

This monograph investigates the rich visual culture of the medieval Moldavian monasteries and offers detailed discussions about Voroneț’s architectural style and iconographic program.

This contribution was sponsored through the 2024 Research Fellowship.