Moldovita Monastery, Northeast Romania, Romania

4Tiberiu_Baranyi 5:00 PM Sep 20, 2021

Painted monastery of Moldovita.
Built by the order of king Petru Rares - in 1532 (as mentioned in another review of mine not all the monasteries were built by king Stephen). Visiting charge is 10 ron - about 2 euros , and you can park free of charge right at the entrance of the monastery. The frescoes on 1 of the walls are still very complete and really beautiful - the other 1 that is exposed to the elements , well its only little left of it - still well worth visiting. As in other monasteries taking pictures inside is not allowed (although the constant burning of candles for centuries damaged more the interior than the flash of a smart phone - but hey! its the rules of the place - no pics inside). In the courtyard you shall see the bust of king Petru Rares. Overall a beautiful place - a definite must see - and well worthy of inclusion on the UNESCO world heritage list ... go and see for yourselves.

4TravelingMMom 5:00 PM Jul 15, 2010

Moldovita - painted monastery of Bucovina region
Moldovita Monastery is one of many painted monasteries that are easily accessible from Gura Humorului (good base for hotel, restaurants) Other monasteries that I visited were: Putna, Humor, Voronet, Sucevita, and Humorului. I purchased a road map of Romania in a monastery gift shop ($US 4.75) with all the monasteries listed and there are at least 18 painted monasteries in the Bucovina region surrounding Suceava. The UNESCO World Heritage List calls this group of monasteries the "Churches of Moldavia" but I found that the Romanians refer to this geographic and cultural region as "Bucovina" which looks like Northern Moldova (without the "i") on most maps. Moldovita Monastery has fresco paintings on both the exterior and interior. These paintings are instructive scenes from the Bible, Saints and Martyrs, Donors and Patrons of the church, as well as the entire church year cycle, with a painting referring to each day of the year. In visiting various painted monasteries, you will see that some of the paintings are in their age-worn state either from being exposed to the elements outdoors or from the candles and incense burned for centuries indoors. Some monasteries have begun a cleaning/restoring process on the interior paintings. Some monasteries have no exterior paintings and all new paintings on the inside. I recommend that you visit numerous monasteries in Bucovina and discover the charms of each. The entrance fees for most monasteries is very low - 3 Lei ($US.90) but if you want to take photos within the walls of the monastery, there is a "tax" of 3-6 Lei. Even if you pay the tax, though, in some monasteries, you will not be allowed to take photos inside of the church. My tip is to do a combination of paying the tax (it's nothing!) to take pictures and buy postcards/booklets of paintings/icons you find interesting.