Bucovina “land of the beech trees” is a historical region split first in 1918 between Romania and Ukraine after the fall of the Austro-Hungarian empire. You will also hear about being in Moldova, a reference dating from the Middle Ages. In our exploration of that region in February, we were situated in the modern county of Suceava, Romania where their 15th century monasteries and painted churches have been officially recognized as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Mais juste avant d’admirer ces églises, paintes plus encore à l’intérieur qu’à l’extérieur, nous allions faire notre petit tour de train à vapeur, le Mocănița Huțulcul Moldovița. Moins spectaculaire que le trajet de Mamamures, cet itinéraire est mémorable avec un décor hivernal et la musique traditionnelle “live” à l’arrêt.
After this little train ride, we started our tour of those famous painted monasteries and their painted churches. They were build between the end of the 15th century and the middle of the 16th century, by the ruler Stephen the Great (Ștefan cel Mare) (1457-1504) and his son Petru Rares (1527-1538; 1541-1546) during the time of the resistance against the menace of the Ottoman Turks. The architectural style is being referred to as Moldovian, which integrates gothic and byzantine elements. The monasteries are surrounded by walls, looking like a fortress.
On the outside walls, historical, religious or cultural scenes are painted. There are still no decisive explanation why the majority of the outside frescoes have managed to still be showing after five centuries. The interiors are even more painted as the exteriors and have at least the advantage of being protected from the elements but humidity and smoke from candles have done their work to deteriorate the colors and details.
Les intérieurs sont encore plus impressionants mais il y a une interdiction de les photographier ce que nous respectons totalement. Les moines sont encore les gardiens de ces lieux importants pour la communauté. Nous nous déplacons ensuite vers le prochain monastère, celui de Sucevița et nous commencons à remarquer les similitudes des scènes paintes. À l’extérieur, on remarque les thèmes du jugement dernier, du ciel et de l’enfer. À l’intérieur, on est souvent confrontés dans la première nave aux nombreuses façons de devenir un saint.. par le type de martyr qu’ils ont subit. Plus on approche de la nave (section) principale, plus on se rapproche des saints orthodoxes et de Jésus.
Et après cette magnifique journée ensoleillée d’hiver bien remplie, nous retournons vers ce que j’appellerais notre petit nid douillet tellement notre gite était accueillant et charmant. J’en donnerai un bel aperçu dans un prochain post.
