Not Another One Surely!
- Virtual Traveller 86
- May 20, 2020
- 3 min read
Day Four: Country No. 21
ROMANIA Arrival Time: 3:59am
A flight from Ukraine to Romania is thankfully quick. Situated in the south east of Europe and on the shores of the Black Sea, Romania has long been tenuously associated with the fictional Dracula. Apart from Transylvania, the rest of the country has yet to pull in lots of global tourists. Yet it is a country filled with stunning mountains, “rustic villages and vibrant cities. Rugged stone churches and dazzling monasteries dot a pristine landscape of rocky mountains and rolling hills. Transylvanian towns have stepped out of time, while vibrant Bucharest is all energy.” (So says Lonely Planet)
Oh and on the topic of churches and monasteries...LOTS of frescoes. So many I am actually longing to see a church with a plain wall (Yep I’m joking). My time in Romania was in fact essentially a tour of churches!
Bucharest
Kretzulescu Church opened in 1722. It is situated on the corner of Revolution Square in capital city Bucharest.
Cluj-Napoca
The Dormition of the Theotokos Cathedral is the most famous Romanian Orthodox church in Cluj-Napoca. According to Google Earth it was consecrated in 1933 and yet in some ways it seems so much older on the inside. I can’t work out if they have used mosaic tiles or some kind of weaved material.
Constanta
Constanța is a city on the shores of the Black Sea. In the Roman Mosaics complex there are displays of tiled floors dating back to the 4th century A.D.
Bottom far right picture: The Great Martyr Mina Church
All other photos: The Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul
Bucovina Region
Bucovina’s painted monasteries are “cherished not only for their beauty and quality of artisanship, but also for their endurance over the centuries and their overall cultural significance.” They mainly date from the 15th and 16th centuries and “are hailed mainly for their colourful external frescoes, many of which have survived the region’s cruel winters relatively intact. The external wall paintings served as both expressions of faith and as an effective method of conveying important biblical stories to a parish of mostly illiterate soldiers and peasants.” (Lonely Planet)
Radauti
Bogdana Monastery is in the town of Rădăuți, northern Romania. Its church is the oldest still standing religious building in Moldavia. It was built by Bogdan I of Moldavia sometime around 1360. Clearly the external walls have been renovated.
Sucevita The 1601 Sucevița Monastery is in the village Sucevița, 18 km away from the city of Rădăuţi. I’ve never seen anything like it!
Vatra Moldovitei
Moldovița Monastery is in the commune of Vatra Moldoviței, Suceava County, Moldavia. It was built in 1532 by Petru Rareș.
There were other church buildings much like these and these small pics don’t really do justice to how incredible they all are. No doubt, as with everywhere I have visited on this challenge, the real thing is even more mind-blowing. I confess I do feel a tad saturated where frescoes are concerned.
I wonder if they’ll have any in my next country?
Leaving Romania: 6:11am
Sources
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/romania https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/best-things-to-do-romania
Google Earth
Wikipedia
I am doing this challenge to raise funds for The Scoliosis Association UK (SAUK) and for the NHS Charities. You can read my reasons for choosing these in an earlier post. I am trying to raise £500. Any donation is gratefully received and can be made by clicking on the link below. Thank You in advance.
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