Few religious monuments are as inspirational and mesmerising as Sucevita Monastery, one of the eight painted churches from Bucovina included on the UNESCO World Heritage list. A masterpiece and ‘a testament of Moldavian art’, Sucevita Monastery marks the end of an era, a time in which medieval religious art reached new levels of innovation and creativity in this part of Romania.The history of the monastery starts with the storey of the Movila brothers, the great-grandsons of Moldavia’s most beloved prince: Stephen the Great. One of them, Gheorghe, converted to monastic life and eventually became the Metropolitan of Moldavia while the other two, Simeon and Ieremia, became princes of the same historical region. Built and painted with the financial and cultural support of the three brothers in the last two decades of the 16th century, this is the last church with painted exterior walls from the region.At a first look, the monastery has the appearance of a medieval stronghold. In a time when the Ottoman Empire ordered the Moldavian state to destroy its fortresses, local princes fortified monasteries to use them as a safe retreat in the darkest times. Similar to the nearby Moldovita, Sucevita Monastery also preserves its original strong precincts, a massive square rectangle of walls six metres tall and three metres thick and five towers equipped with firing holes. Even a princely palace that hosts today the monastery’s museum was included in the original fortification walls, marking the potential defensive role of the religious monument. ike all the major churches from Moldavia from the 15th and 16th centuries, the painted church from Sucevita Monastery has a triconch layout, one special novelty being the two open porches inspired by the architecture of churches from Southern Romania. Particular elements, also present at Moldovita and Humour Churches, are the burial room with the marble carved tombs of Ieremia and Simion Movila and a secret space above them where the most valuable goods of the church were hidden. Sucevita Monastery is included in our Active Tour in Cultural Bucovina and Painted Monasteries of Bucovina Tour. Few religious monuments are as inspirational and mesmerising as Sucevita Monastery, one of the eight painted churches from Bucovina included on the UNESCO World Heritage list. A masterpiece and ‘a testament of Moldavian art’, Sucevita Monastery marks the end of an era, a time in which medieval religious art reached new levels of innovation and creativity in this part of Romania. Sucevita Monastery External frescoes, the church of Sucevita Monastery One of the must-see cultural attractions from Romania, the colourful image of Sucevita Monastery will stay with you for many years to come after you’ve seen it. Medieval history The history of the monastery starts with the storey of the Movila brothers, the great-grandsons of Moldavia’s most beloved prince: Stephen the Great. One of them, Gheorghe, converted to monastic life and eventually became the Metropolitan of Moldavia while the other two, Simeon and Ieremia, became princes of the same historical region. Built and painted with the financial and cultural support of the three brothers in the last two decades of the 16th century, this is the last church with painted exterior walls from the region. Sucevita Monastery The church of Sucevita Monastery At a first look, the monastery has the appearance of a medieval stronghold. In a time when the Ottoman Empire ordered the Moldavian state to destroy its fortresses, local princes fortified monasteries to use them as a safe retreat in the darkest times. Similar to the nearby Moldovita, Sucevita Monastery also preserves its original strong precincts, a massive square rectangle of walls six metres tall and three metres thick and five towers equipped with firing holes. Even a princely palace that hosts today the monastery’s museum was included in the original fortification walls, marking the potential defensive role of the religious monument. Architecture and unique paintings Like all the major churches from Moldavia from the 15th and 16th centuries, the painted church from Sucevita Monastery has a triconch layout, one special novelty being the two open porches inspired by the architecture of churches from Southern Romania. Particular elements, also present at Moldovita and Humour Churches, are the burial room with the marble carved tombs of Ieremia and Simion Movila and a secret space above them where the most valuable goods of the church were hidden. Sucevita Monastery External frescoes, the church of Sucevita Monastery Truly unique is the way in which its paintings surpass all the highlights of the remarkable religious paintings done in the region in the previous one hundred years. Its rich and monumental external murals are the best conserved and the most impressive of all the painted churches in Bucovina. Even its northern façade murals, usually the most damaged by weather conditions, is almost intact. Done by a local team of artists in the last years of the 16th century, the paintings illustrate traditional themes, but also present new ones, including 40 detailed scenes from Moses’ life, seen above the burial room. The largest of all Moldavian wall paintings is also found here, the Prayer of all Saints, covering seven registers equivalent to the entire height of the Eastern façade with detailed religious hierarchies done with vivid colours, almost perfectly preserved over time. The Northern wall has its own masterpiece, one of the most important in the entire Romanian medieval art: The Ladder of John Climax or The Ladder of Virtues, a theme inspired by Mount Athos traditions. This dazzling composition offers two perspectives of the monastic afterlife, heaven for the most dedicated monks and hell with all its devils for those who disobeyed the rules. It was a practical lesson and warning for the monks serving the monastery. On the same wall, you’ll see the classical theme of Genesis with Adam, Eve, Abel and Cain and their well-known series of Biblical mistakes. The interior paintings are equally rich detailed, alternating traditional and innovative themes, using the same dominant emerald green colour. A priceless monument of art, Sucevita Monastery is inspirational for the contemporary traveller in search of authenticity. One of the most beautiful and remarkable attractions in Bucovina, this UNESCO World Heritage monument is a must-see no matter if you believe in God or not.

We will vist Black Ceramics of Marginea .We will visit the workshops where ceramic objects are produced. You will admire the craftsmanship of the local craftsmen and you will be able to try this craft .

Arbore Monastery was built between the 2nd of April and the 29th of August 1503, by Luca Arbore, in the village of Soloca, that he owned. He was one of the important boyars of Stefan cel Mare, being since 1486 the gatekeeper of Suceava. He had defended bravely the Suceava Fortress in 1497 against Polish attacks. Five month later, he erected the monastery, next to his private residence, meant as a family chapel and cemetery. Luca never saw the paintings of his monastery completed because he was beheaded along with two of his sons, having been falsely accused of treachery. The monument was dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. The monastery, with it’s rectangular shape,was built of brick and stone extracted from the quarries in the region. It is smaller than other painted churches and, probably , less spectacular. There is no steeple, as it was built by a landowner, and not by a ruling prince. A semicircular arcade which doubles the outside west wall of the pronaos was designed to house the bells. These now have a separate bell tower above the entrance to the church-yard. It has remarkable fresco paintings against a predominant green background, unlike Voronet, where blue is the predominant colour. The green is in five shadows and 47 hues combined with red, blue, yellow, pink and ochre. Unfortunately the secret of combining colours held by the painters of Arbore is now lost. However, scientists were able to identify thirty substances, including animal size, vinegar, egg, gall and honey. Restorers can now only stabilise what has been left of the frescoes. The interior paintings were seriously damaged in the 17th-18th centuries when the church remained without its roof.he paintings were made by a team led by Dragos Coman from Iasi. The artist proves to be a genius: a widely-traveled man, he innovates, has a new vision different from the one of his predecessors, he succeeds in making a bold synthesis of oriental and western elements, well integrated in tradition though. Most of the paintings represent scenes taken from the Genesis and the Saints’ lives. They are delicate and vivid, whereas houses are drawn in perspective. The best preserved frescoes are found on the relatively sheltered south and west walls. Among the most valuable scenes one may see are The Hymn of the Prayers to the Virgin, The Siege of Constantinople, The Last Judgement, The Prodigal Son and many others. The Siege of Constantinople is a syncretic representation of the attacks of Persians, Avars and Slaves upon Constantinople in 617. The Journey of the Magi, the Holy Virgin and other scenes show the painter’s disposition to rocky landscape against a predominantly green background, like in the Last Judgement where he finds his own solutions to render the characters’ movement fluid. In the Prayer of All Saints on the apse, Christopher, the defender against death, with Baby Jesus on his shoulder is also among the martyr saints, it is a unique and unusual image for Moldavia, influenced by the mural painting in Catholic countries. On the west wall, in the niche beside which services for the dead are usually celebrated, Dragos painted a series of vivid “miniatures” like a large version of an illuminated manuscript. The top register shows The Holly Family on the flight into Egypt and the Massacre of the Innocents. Below these, there are scenes from the Life of the Virgin, followed lower down by episodes from Moses’s storey. The lowest bands contain the Siege of Constantinopole, updated to reflect the contemporary fears about the Turks, rather than the Persians who were the original aggressors.The south wall contains eight registers devoted to scenes from Genesis and the Lives of the Saints. The Last Judgement is badly damaged, but it must have been a strong and imaginative composition: what remains is of excellent quality and, in the raking light, you can see some of the incised underdrawings that were made before the paint was applied. Worth noticing are the parcels containing souls which are being weighed in the balance, and the lush vegetation in the Paradise Garden . Inside the monastery, an ethnographic museum with a rich display of the region’s most valuable assets is worth visiting. The monastery was restored between 1909-1914 and 1936-1937, and appears on the UNESCO list of monuments.

The area around Bicaz Gorge - Red Lake is the perfect destination for those who want to relax in an amazingly beautiful landscape and want to enjoy the silence and the fresh air. The passing from Moldavia towards Transylvania is done through this nature’s .wonder, the Bicaz Gorge. You can imagine that the gorge was carved inside the mountain by a giant and strong water, but the truth is that the responsible for the most beautiful gorge in the Oriental Carpathathians is the small and whirling river, Bicaz. The impressive gorge is 6 kilometres long and runs between the Red Lake and the place called Bicazul Ardelean (Western Bicaz). The road is really breathtaking , made of many hairpin bends which prepare the passing to higher altitudes. If you suffer from car sickness, I recommend you to admire these beauties on foot; you will see wonderful sights ! In the Gorge, the road narrows as you come closer to the stone giants, and then it winds along the stone mountain wall. The sight widens when the amazing and extremely beautiful hairpin bends, a real challenge for drivers, begin to show. You can reach the famous tunnel through the stone walls, whose crossing makes you think of the most terrible scenarios. You finally feel relieved when, after a few seconds, you take a glimpse of the mountians peaks and the wooden cross on the Altar Rock, which reminds of all the climbers who dared to climb the steep vertical mountain walls. The Red Lake (Lacul Rosu) was formed almost 200 years ago and its name is derived from the red sandstone, transported by the streams, which has painted in purple-red the soils and the surroundings up to the lake. The sight which flows and reveals itself before the tourists’ eyes is spectacular; you can admire a forest, once sunk in the lake, of which the fir-trees tops can be seen here and there.