I resumed the pilgrimage to the monasteries in Bucovina, to follow the route of the foundations of Stephen the Great. Last year I visited only the Voroneț Monastery, one of the monasteries founded by the voivode on the Bucovina land. I decided to visit the rest of the monasteries as well. The first "target" was the Putna Monastery, where the tomb of the Moldavian ruler is located.
Putna Monastery is located near the northern border of Romania. We crossed the city of Rădăuți and went to Vicovul de Jos on DN 2H until we reached Putna. A great ally was our GPS that took us to our destination. Here we found generous and paved parking. Our feet were numb after so many hours in the car and headed for the monastery courtyard.
The entrance to the monastery courtyard is made by passing the gate of a tower, on which is the coat of arms of Moldova with Bour's head. It is an honor for me to be in the court of the first and most important founder of the lord of Moldova, Stephen the Great.
Somewhere to the left of the entrance tower are the ruins of the cells from the foundation. To the right of the tower is the statue of Mihai Eminescu guarded by the 3 bells (Buga, Userul and Blagovistnicul). Putna Monastery is very well preserved, I really liked this aspect.
While walking, in the courtyard of the monastery we find the fountain of Iacov Putneanul, at least 250 years old. While I was photographing, the treasure tower, caught my attention a strong pillar of defense of the fortified enclosure, from the time of Stephen the Great. I was impressed by the multitude of beautifully scented flowers. You can see in the photos.
The church is a large architectural gem with ornate iron doors. The first stop was in front of the tomb of Stephen the Great. The tomb is covered with a white marble slab by Carrara. Here we can also see the tomb of Mrs. Voichiţa, the last wife of the voivode, the tomb of Bogdan III, son of the voivode, of Mrs. Maria de Mangop, another wife of the ruler. The original church has undergone many transformations over time, through fires, invasions and foreign occupations, but also through earthquakes.
The church of the Putna monastery is dedicated to the "Assumption of the Mother of God". The entrance to the church is through two side doors. The tower of the church, octagonal at the base and hexagonal at the top, was above the nave. The altar has a carved wooden iconostasis. The painting of the church is very old, which despite the stepsons still retains its beauty and vivid color.
In front of the church is the monastery museum, a well-organized place, with embroidery, manuscripts, cult objects, icons, etc., I did not take photos here. Usually no photos are taken in museums, but I was also hindered by the very large number of tourists, which made it impossible to take pictures.
At the end of the visit I photographed the bust of Mihai Eminescu, or the Eminescu Tower as it is called, work of the sculptor Oscar Han, placed here by the members of the Arboroasa Student Circle from Chernivtsi in 1926. On the base of the bust are inscribed some of the most famous verses of the poet. from which emerges his boundless love for the Romanian lands: "What do I wish you, sweet Romania, / In the past, great, great future!".
Putna Monastery is an Orthodox monastic shrine, one of the most important Romanian cultural, religious and artistic centers. It was nicknamed "Jerusalem of the Romanian Nation" by the poet Mihai Eminescu, in 1871. Putna Monastery is included in the List of Historical Monuments in Romania
The original church underwent major changes between 1653-1662. The initial architectural lines specific to the Moldavian style have been preserved, being made up of five rooms: porch, narthex, tomb, nave and altar. There are thus reunited elements of Byzantine, Gothic and Renaissance architecture. The access to the church is made through the two side doors of the porch, framed with stone portals. The massive door that goes from the porch to the narthex has at the top a sign reminiscent of the reconstruction works that took place during the reigns of Gheorghe Stefan and Eustratie Dabija. From the tomb room (the tomb) the passage to the nave is made between two massive columns that replaced in the 17th century the dividing wall specific to the Stefanian architectural line. On the outside, the church have a twisted belt symbolizing the Holy Trinity, a motif that is also found in the interior decoration.
This visit was one with an emotional charge, more than in the footsteps of faith, it was in the footsteps of history, more precisely in the footsteps of Stephen the Great!
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