The Painted Monasteries of Bucovina
The Painted Monasteries of Bucovina
The Painted Monasteries of Bucovina
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237 reviews
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Segebaba
Fayetteville, GA235 contributions
Sep 2022
This monastery is close to the city center of the city in Suceava. We were not able to talk to anyone on the location other than our friend who acted as our guide. Just good to see, you won't miss much if you don't see it.
Written September 11, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Olesia
Chernihiv, Ukraine27 contributions
Sep 2019
I wonder when I saw the architecture of Painted Monasteries of Bucovina. I haven't seen anything the same or similar. Buildings are so unusual and big and high. When I come inside the church I was excited about its beauty. So amazing frescos! You need to look at it even once. This painting is saved so many centuries. It's really holy place. Here you are feeling peace and calm.
Written April 10, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Robert D
5 contributions
Feb 2023 • Solo
To be completely alone (with the nuns) :-)
The cold snowy atmosphere of a winter visit.
Easy to do a self drive circuit of all the UNESCO sites in 2-3 days.
Accommodation available close to all sites.
The cold snowy atmosphere of a winter visit.
Easy to do a self drive circuit of all the UNESCO sites in 2-3 days.
Accommodation available close to all sites.
Written February 9, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tiberiu_Baranyi
Timisoara, Romania18,192 contributions
Aug 2021
First things first - to shed some light (due diligence sometimes makes the difference):
1. the painted Monasteries are not located in the city of Suceava - they are scattered in the historical region of Bucovina! - not all of them are in Suceava County - the majority are but not all of them!
2. It is not 1 church 1 monastery there are several - out of the several there are 8 that are listed on the UNESCO world heritage list - those 8 are the followig:
2.1 Gura Humorului Monastery
2.2 Voronet - probably the most famous.
2.3 Sucevita - probably the most well preserved.
2.4 Moldovita
2.5 Arbore
2.6 Probota.
2.7 "Sfantul Ioan Cel Nou" - this 1 is in Suceava
2.8 Patrauti
- so make no mistake - is not 1 there a more ...
3. Not all of the Monasteries were erected by king Stephen the Great and Holly - he ordered the building of a great deal of churches - but the for the painted monasteries not all were built by the order of King Stephen (even my fellow country men tend to rely on word of mouth rather than historical facts).
4. The outside paintings were done - for the majority of the painted monasteries during the reign of King Petru Rares! - (king Stephen preferred the more "clean" approach that can be seen at Putna Monastery where you shall find his tomb also.)
So to sum it all up - when you say "Painted Monasteries of Bucovina" keep in mind that it is not 1 church not 1 place !
5. The colors are fading and the painting is degrading every year - majority of them lasted almost 500 years - but the secret of the paints and the mixture of the material was taken to the grave by the master painters who did this work - so unfortunately currently is no way to reproduce those colors and potentially repaint the outside walls that degraded by the elements.
... and yes all of those are interesting and yes all worth visiting and yes you shall the time and effort to visit at least those from the UNESCO list - as listed a few lines above.
I hope it helps to separate myth from fact and gives you a better insight to these true gems of architecture ....
PS: only a few pics attached to this review, as samples - for more information and more pictures search each church/monastery 1 by 1 - all have decent reviews and pics on TA.
1. the painted Monasteries are not located in the city of Suceava - they are scattered in the historical region of Bucovina! - not all of them are in Suceava County - the majority are but not all of them!
2. It is not 1 church 1 monastery there are several - out of the several there are 8 that are listed on the UNESCO world heritage list - those 8 are the followig:
2.1 Gura Humorului Monastery
2.2 Voronet - probably the most famous.
2.3 Sucevita - probably the most well preserved.
2.4 Moldovita
2.5 Arbore
2.6 Probota.
2.7 "Sfantul Ioan Cel Nou" - this 1 is in Suceava
2.8 Patrauti
- so make no mistake - is not 1 there a more ...
3. Not all of the Monasteries were erected by king Stephen the Great and Holly - he ordered the building of a great deal of churches - but the for the painted monasteries not all were built by the order of King Stephen (even my fellow country men tend to rely on word of mouth rather than historical facts).
4. The outside paintings were done - for the majority of the painted monasteries during the reign of King Petru Rares! - (king Stephen preferred the more "clean" approach that can be seen at Putna Monastery where you shall find his tomb also.)
So to sum it all up - when you say "Painted Monasteries of Bucovina" keep in mind that it is not 1 church not 1 place !
5. The colors are fading and the painting is degrading every year - majority of them lasted almost 500 years - but the secret of the paints and the mixture of the material was taken to the grave by the master painters who did this work - so unfortunately currently is no way to reproduce those colors and potentially repaint the outside walls that degraded by the elements.
... and yes all of those are interesting and yes all worth visiting and yes you shall the time and effort to visit at least those from the UNESCO list - as listed a few lines above.
I hope it helps to separate myth from fact and gives you a better insight to these true gems of architecture ....
PS: only a few pics attached to this review, as samples - for more information and more pictures search each church/monastery 1 by 1 - all have decent reviews and pics on TA.
Written September 19, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SACALosAngeles
Hacienda Heights, CA1,308 contributions
Oct 2013 • Couples
We had been driving on a 5 week trip through Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania and had stopped at many monasteries along the way. Each area has their own style of architecture and adornment. The Painted Monasteries of Bucovina shouldn't be missed. We stayed in Gura Humorului and spent our day with a tour guide, Gigi, from Axatours.ro It was a wonderful day. Gig has studied the monasteries with the nuns who live there and is very well acquainted with the artwork of the paintings. If you go there on your own, you will look at them and think "How beautiful!" But having someone point our the symbolism is crucial to really understanding the history and significance of the monasteries. We visited several monasteries, which meant driving through villages and over a high mountain road. We stopped for hot soup and a tastey Romanian dessert and visited local craftspeople at work. It was a wonderful day. One of our favorite days of the entire trip.
Written October 20, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Enric
Barcelona, Spain973 contributions
Aug 2018 • Couples
Beautiful painted monasteries in a beautiful route. It's incredible the work of the paintings and the conservation of most of them. A especial mention of Arborea a tiny and special one with a very helpful woman in charge.
Written August 13, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SteveTrips2013
Salt Lake City, UT77 contributions
Jun 2017 • Couples
We drove from Bucharest to see some of the painted monasteries. We had read about them during our trip preparation and we were not disappointed at all. My wife commented after we left Romania that this was the most interesting thing we did during our week-long trip. We visited 4 monasteries--Voronet, Humorulu, Moldovita and Sucevita. You can easily visit these 4 locations in a single day starting from Suceava. Voronet and Sucevita were our two favorites. Voronet for its blue paint and Sucevita for its sheer size. It is amazing to think that the outside paintings have lasted for 500 years---more or less. A couple of points. Our Michelin map suggested that you could drive from Voronet to Sucevita directly. However, after driving some kilometers, the road turned to gravel and looked very risky. So we turned back and went a longer route through Moldovita and Humorulu. Also, look carefully for the signs. We missed a turnoff due to a driving rain and had to retrace our steps. Some of the monasteries are better marked than others. Be prepared to drive on some smaller roads.
Written June 12, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Flavius T
Albany, NY130 contributions
May 2015 • Couples
I might be bias here because I was born in Romania and took me 40+ years to get to see these beautiful monasteries. They are unique, they are impressive, they are colorful and they have been built long time ago. And they are quite a few of them so take your time to drive around.
Written May 21, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
j0hnct
Melbourne, Australia11 contributions
Nov 2014 • Solo
These UNESCO-listed monasteries are an absolute treasure. The monasteries were built in the 15th-16th centuries and decorated inside and out with beautiful fresco paintings. Amazing that the outside art works have survived 500 years or more and many are still in excellent condition. I travelled by myself in November 2014 and decided to hire a guide, Gigi (Sebastian) Traciu from AXA Travel in Suceava, partly to make it easier to visit (otherwise you need a car) but mainly for his expertise and knowledge of the art and iconography. We drove over 200 km and saw 4 monasteries, plus a lot of beautiful mountain and village countryside, and lots of horse drawn wagons. The price was very reasonable and Gigi is also an enjoyable and interesting companion. I thoroughly recommend him. There is also a small admission fee (5 RON) for each monastery.
Bukovina is a fascinating and beautiful part of Romania. Although it is quite remote (7 hours by train from Bucharest) it is well worth the journey. The train trip from Cluj in Transylvania to Suceava (6 hours) is also wonderful and allowed me to make a round trip over 2 weeks from Bucharest.
Bukovina is a fascinating and beautiful part of Romania. Although it is quite remote (7 hours by train from Bucharest) it is well worth the journey. The train trip from Cluj in Transylvania to Suceava (6 hours) is also wonderful and allowed me to make a round trip over 2 weeks from Bucharest.
Written November 30, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Renata W
Düsseldorf, Germany3 contributions
Jun 2014 • Couples
We took this trip at the beginning of June and it was magnificent. We started in Bucovina and ended our trip in the north-west of Romania and I recommend this trip because it is worth it ! We went with Mr. Ciprian from Irene's Travel and found their tours on their site hellobucovina.com . He organized everything for us and we learned so much from his vast knowlage about the history and culture of Bucovina/Romania. We were lucky to have met Cip as he is very passionate about his work sice he has a very long experience in the field of turism. He helped us with accomodation, transport and anything we needed, so we didn't have anything to worry about, just to enjoy the beautiful landscapes and culture of Romania.
Written June 24, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ciao, mi puoi dire come lo hai conosciuto e quanto hai pagato per il tour/quante persone? Quali monasteri hai visitato? Sto cercando di trovare un buon equilibrio tra il prezzo e il numero di monasteri che vorrei visitare.
Written October 10, 2019
Ciao, ha anche un sito "Go 4 tour events". Abbiamo visitato i Monasteri di Dragomirna, Voronet, Humorului, Sucevita e Moldovita.
Abbiamo visitato anche altri posti in quanto siamo stati con lui 5 giorni in un itinerario che abbiamo deciso insieme in base ai nostri interessi. Ha anche un pulmino di 9 posti, ma noi eravamo una coppia e quindi siamo andati in macchina (nuova e comoda).
Da molta sicurezza e soprattutto, molto importante, se non sa una cosa non inventa la risposta, ma si informa!
Parla benissimo l'italiano e se lo chiami in WhatsApp ti da tutte le informazioni.
Written October 11, 2019
Planning to hire a car and drive around so I was wondering if there was any entry cost to visit the monasteries?
Written March 16, 2019
Yes every one we visited had a nominal cost. Perhaps only to go into the main edifices.
Written March 16, 2019
Did you go on an organised tour of the monasteries and if so can you recommend one. A. Having difficulty in locating a tour which takes in the painted monasteries , Dracula etc. If you went self drive, was it easy to gain access? Thanks
Written January 9, 2017
I have always found tours to be far overpriced, so I often just look at their brochures for ideas. I planned the trip myself, and we took a week to tour around the painted monasteries, and transylvania. A couple more days would have been been more relaxing.
Don't consider trying to see Romania by bus, you will miss out on so much that the country has to offer; trains will only get you to the major centers, and you will again be constrained. We rented a car at Arad (we took the train from Budapest), from a Romanian car rental agency, AutoRom, I think, but if you need details, let me know. They allowed us to drop off in Timisoara for a small drop-off fee and they were great to work with. Make sure that the car has a nav system and you will have very few problems getting around.
Don't expect to make a lot of time on the roads. We only came across one modern highway, and although Romania has some amazing driving areas, like the Transfagaran, we had experienced enough twisty roads driving through the Suceava area.
One great resource for painted churches is the Unesco World Heritage list. Most of the churches have been restored, but we saw one that is in the early stages of restoration, and we had a similar tour by another enthusiastic caretaker at an old church in Transylvania. Romania is really good at posting signs to their historic sites, and we often found ourselves driving a few miles or more off the main road, and sometimes the roads weren't great, ie dirt, but we often found real treasures like the monastery where we got to meet an Orthodox Priest who gave us a tour of his monastery.
I was paranoid about gypsies, but we had not one issue in our entire time in Romania. Gypsies are only a small part of the population, and it will be very obvious when you are in a gypsy village as they are very garish; use your head if you see shady characters and you should be ok. In Translvania, I hardly saw any gypsies, and in fact, I think there are a lot of ethnic Germans there, as there were a lot of blonds, and those beautiful cities of Sibiu, Brasov, Sighisoara, Timisoara all have Saxon origins.
Castle Bran is a bit of a disappointment but the village below the castle was a fun shopping and eating experience. Stay in Sighisoara, in the old town, if you want the Dracula experience. There are some historic Dracula sites and ruined castles that you can find with a little research too.
We had a fantastic time in Romania, which is why I took the time for this long post. One of our best trips ever and I'd love to go back to Translvania. Oradea was also great - a city that is like Prague was in the 90's, and I have heard great things about Cluj-Napoca, and the wooden churches and painted cemeteries of Maramures. Not sure about Bucharest, but there is enough to see in the rest of the country.
If you have more questions, let me know.
Written January 10, 2017
◦In che modo si può raggiungere l'attrazione con i trasporti pubblici?
Written January 3, 2017
Ciao, io ho visitato i numerosi monasteri sparsi nella campagna mediante macchina che può essere privata o presa a noleggio, è il modo migliore, più comodo e veloce.
Written January 8, 2017
How did you travel around the monasteries of Bucovina? Is it recomendable to do it by bus, or just take a tour or rent a car?
Written August 21, 2015
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