The most represantative monuments of the medieval Moldavia are to be found in Bukovina that reflect the characteristics of the Romanian culture and religion.

Monasteries in Moldavia

Agapia Monastery is situated on the river Agapia's Valley, at the foot of Magura Mountains, in a pitoresque enviroment, being surrounded by mountains and lots of forests, gardens and orchards. The church that can be found inside was raised during 1642-1644 with the help of the of Vasile Lupu, the learder of the region. Built by Ionasc Ctisi, it is made of rocks and bricks having a similar architecture with the Trei Ierarhi Church from Iasi. It was blessed in 1647 by the metropolitan bishop Varlaam of Maldavia. During the time, it was several times robbed, destroyed and fired, but each time it was rebuilt. It was the shelter for monks until 1803, when the bishop Veniamin Costache transformed it into a monastery for nuns. The church from inside was rebuilt in 1858, and its inside walls were painted by the greatest Romanian painter Nicolae Grigorescu. Although very young only 18 years, he succeded in creating a remarkable collection of wall paintings and religious icons. Varatec Monastery is situated in a small depression, at the foot of the mountains. Before entering it there is the tower of the belfry, which represents actually the gate towards the real monastery. When it was first built in 1808-1812 it was made of wood, but nowadays it is made of rocks and bricks, having the appeaance of a fortress. The architecture is typical to the traditional style of Moldavia, being a real museum with valuable historical objects. Sucevita Monastery can be found in the village that has the same name, on the banks of river Sucevita. It was founded in the last decades of the 16th century, by the metropolitan bishop Gheorghe Movila. The church from inside is situated in the center of the monastery, being impressive by its walls that make it look like a fortress and by its paintings. The most interesting is "The Ladder of Virtues", a symbol and it represents a ladder towards paradise. Putna Monastery was built between 1466 and 1469 by Stephen the Great after one of his victories, being the place where he is buried. The legend says that the place where it was raised was picked up by Stephen the Great after lancing an arrow, but the history and also the geographycal location don't agree. The place is extremely charming being situated at the foot of Obcina Mare Mountains, where there might have been a former shelter for monks. It was fired by the Ottoman empire, then rebuilt and robbed again, but its final rebuilt was done only in the 18th century, but the original style is the same. The monastery impresses by its inner painting, though historical documents say that in the past it was painted in the exterior as well, but the style is still unknown. Voronet Monastery is it was from the beginning a real monument. It is famous for "its blue of Voronet" and for the the scene that is painted on one of its walls called "Last Judgement" that presents Jesus on His throne judging souls. It was the home for the monks that attached themselves to the foundation, but as the monastery was destroyed in 1786, they all left and only the church and the tower remained. Later it was rebuilt and since 1991 it became the shelter for nuns. Moldovita Monastery was founded by Petru Rares in 1532. From the old building today there is only the church, located in the centre of the yard, built in a specific style from Moldavia. The wall painting its similar to the ones that exists at Humorul and Probota monasteries as well. On the southern wall there is the famous painting called " The Siege of Constantinopol" that presented Christians routing the infidel with arrows and cannons being paraded around the ramparts.

Monasteries in Wallachia

They are located in the south of the country, starting with Ramnicu Valcea town. One of the most important is the Monastery at Cozia that has a great significance for our country because it was founded by a great figure of the history, Mircea cel Batran in the 14th century. The architecture is Byzantine and inside tourists can admire the frescoes that were painted in 1707. The Monastery of Curtea de Arges was founded by the prince Neagoe Basarab (1512-1521), being one of the most important constructions of art and religious architecture. The legend says that his wish was to build a church that could never been compared to any other, that's why he hired only the best builders and the most important was Manole. Starting to built it, everything fell apart during the night and they realized that there was a curse. Manole knew that the church could be raised only if somebody from their families would be built inside, so he decided that the first person that would come he would be buried. His bad luck was that his wife, Ana was that person and he had to keep his promise. After finishing the church, with his wife buried between the walls he started to build wooden wings hoping that they could help him fly. But the end was dramatic and on the spot where he felt a will appeared. Horezu Monastery founded in 1684 is the creation of the king Constantin Brancoveanu, an important figure in the Romanian history. It is situated at the foot of the Capatanii Mountain, in the heart of the forests. It was actually built to serve as a fortress,to protect the country agains the enemies, but nowadays it is one of most beautiful monument that represents the style specific to that period.

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