THE SUCEVIŢA COMMUNE

The Suceviţa commune is situated in a wonderful region, at the junction of Obcina Mare with the Rădăuţi Depression, guarded by the beautiful peaks of Furcoi, Poiana Tărşcior, Poiana Ovăzului and Palma. The Suceviţa locality has a surface of 89 km and it represents a peerless unique place, very appreciated by the ones who come and visit it.
The Suceviţa commune is mostly surrounded by centuries old forests, mainly coniferous forests, and the fresh air of this region attracted and continues to attract more and more tourists.
The modern accommodation and amusement which were built here make the locality more attractive and interesting. The authorities’ receptivity to new, useful and modern is part of the general effort of promoting the area.
Sucevita commune is part of the settlements very well known in Romania, especially due to Sucevita Monastery, which, in fact gave the name to the locality. The Sucevita Monastery ends the glorious chapter of the Moldavian art from the 15th and the 16th centuries and, unlike the precedent monuments, it is not the work of a founder, but of a noble family which gave Romania a metropolitan and two rulers: The Movilesti.
The construction of a large monarchal ensemble begins between 1582 -1586, when the Movila brothers become counselors of Petru Schiopul Waivode. Iremia Movila, former counselor in Petru Schiopul government and ruler of Moldavia from 1595 until his death in 1606, is considered the main founder of the monastery’s stone hall.
The Sucevita Monastery’s hall is almost square, with sides of 100x104m. The walls are approximately 3 m thick, build in hard rock with mortar and they have a height of 6 m. The 4 corner towers and the tower from the North side entrance enhance the impression of a medieval fortress.

Two bells are kept in the bell tower; they were ordered by Ieremia Movilă for the Suceviţa Monastery and they engraved the scene of God’s Resurrection which illustrates the patron of the monastery and the blazonry of Moldavia, together with hatchment of the Movilă family: two crossed swords.
John and Sofronie’s painting delights us and invites the viewers to reflect, opening as a huge illustrated Bible that asks to be read page by page. The narrative and picturesque character can be deciphered from the whole universe of images presented by the paintings from the Suceviţa Monastery. From these stylistic features, the frescos of Suceviţa carry the brand of originality in the whole of the art from the 16th century Moldavia.  
One particularity of the painting from Suceviţa is represented by the dominant chromatics: “the green from Suceviţa”, illustrated through a multitude of chromatic shades, which harmonize with the green of the forests and the pastures surrounding the monastery.

THE SUCEVIŢA MONASTERY

Situated in the village with the same name, on the valley of Suceviţa creek, at a distance of 18 km South/West from the city Rădăuţi, the Suceviţa Monastery was built in the last decades of the 16th century, on the expense of the Movilă magnate family, of which Ieremia reigned in Moldavia between 1595-1606.
During the reign of Petru Şchiopul (1582- 1591), the Movilă brothers, becoming the counselors of the waivode and having a prosperous economic situation, started building a monastery of amazing proportions.
After the arrival on the throne of Moldavia, in 1595, Ieremia Movilă adds two church verandahs to the monastery, placed at the entrance, on the North and South sides. The walls and towers give the monastery the sight of a medieval fortress, of a princely house, whose ruins can still be seen on the North side of the complex. Cells for the monks are also built during Ieremia’s reign and the church is also painted now on the inside and on the outside. The church having the patron of “God’s Resurrection” is built in Moldavian architecture style, that was consolidated during the reign of Ştefan cel Mare şi Sfânt (Stephen the Great) and represents a harmonious combination of Gothic and Byzantine art, adding elements of architecture belonging to the old wooden churches from Moldova.
The fresco-made painting was created by two Moldavian painters, Ioan Zugravul and his brother, Sofronie, and is still kept until nowadays in its original shape. The iconographic program of the inner and outer painting respects the tradition built in the first half of the 16th century– the Petru Rareş epoch - , but it also brings some new themes, with theological-dogmatic character, as in the case of the liturgical hymn “The Born One...” and other portrayals of the Holy Trinity.
Another characteristic of the painting from Suceviţa is its ability to narrate, illustrating complete cycles of the saints’ lives, such as: St. Pahomie, St. Ioan cel Nou from Suceava, St. Ierarh Nicolae, St. Mucenic Gheorghe, Moses’ Life etc, presented with educative purpose. The science and artistry of the painters can be deciphered in approaching the studied perspectives, in the backgrounds with landscapes or in the architecture specific to the post Byzantine artistic space from this region of Europe. The votive painting that represents Ieremia Movilă’s entire family is on the left side of the nave and the second votive painting belonging to Metropolitan Gheorghe Movilă can be seen on the opposite side of the door. Metropolitan Gheorghe Movilă was the initiator of the church’s building and his painting also presents the father of the Movilă brothers, Ioan Movilă, an ex magnate which converted to monk hood when getting old, caring the name of Ioanichie.
The inner painting from the Suceviţa Monastery is very well preserved from all the churches from Moldavia and it is also the only one keeping its North side which illustrates the scene of “The Stairway of Virtues”, very impressive through the greatness and contrast between the order of the angels and the chaos of Hell. In this scene, the battle between Good and Evil is revealed, as well as man’s try to reach perfection, to regain the soul lost by falling into sin.
The South side is decorated with “Iesei’s Tree”, also revealing the antic philosophers, “Saint Mary’s Prayer”, “The Burning Pyre” and “Saint Mary’s Vesture”.  
The mural panting from Suceviţa, considered by the French art critic Paul Henry as being the “will of Moldavian art”, ends the epoch of the big creations from the 16th century, century whose monuments with the outer painting from Humor, Moldoviţa, Arbore and Voroneţ represent masterpieces of universal art.
The Suceviţa Monastery holds an entire collection of objects having a great artistic and cultural value. These objects can be seen in the museum, the former council room of the monastery, on the East side of the building. Among the exhibits one can notice some exceptional embroideries created in the 15th and the 16th centuries, under the reign of Stefan cel Mare and Ieremia Movilă. The embroideries are made of golden and silver yarn and of silk and pearl. The most important pieces are the portraits of Ieremia and Simion Movilă, an epitaph with pearls, the Gospels covered in gilded silver and an ark donated by Metropolitan Gheorghe Movilă.
In the cultural-artistic complex of the Suceviţa Monastery, the visitor, eager to find out more about the medieval art of the 15th and 16th centuries, can “meet” here the religious architecture, the civil, monastic and defense architecture, the paintings created on wood and stone, embroideries, miniature manuscripts and silverwares.
Due to its great value and especially to its educational religious cultural role, the fame of the Suceviţa Monastery has long passed the borders of the country, this amazing pearl of the Romanian Christianity becoming a part of the universal culture art.

Project presentation

The general objective of the project is the eco touristic promotion of the regions Sucevita and Voloca, of their traditions, customs and touristic attractions, as well as the facilitation of cross border communication by consolidating sustainable relations regarding tourism, between the Romanian and the Ukrainian communities.
The activities of the project correspond to the objectives and priorities of the program, namely they contribute to the extension and growth quality offers within the tourist sector regarding the cross border perspective, to the sustainable development of the touristic sector on both sides of the border and to the development of cross border cooperation with the view to discover the joint socio- cultural inheritance related to history, traditions, customs and the local environment. [ more ]

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