Voroneţ is the most famous of all the painted monastery churches in Bucovina. The building was completed in record time during the summer of 1488. It was erected for one of Moldavia’s all-time heroes, Ştefan cel Mare (Prince Stephen the Great) who reigned from 1457-1504. Voroneţ epitomises the grace and sturdiness of Moldavian rural architecture and its exterior frescoes are painted against a vibrant blue background that has stood the test of time incredibly well.
Stephen erected the original building as a sign of gratefulness to God for one of his frequent victories over the Ottoman Turks. Romanian children know Stephen best for waging at least 38 military campaigns most of which he won. The Turkish army was his most consistent enemy but he had others, such as the Hungarian king and his own cousins, who came from closer to home. One of them was Vlad Dracula, the Impaler. As well as being tough and ruthless, Stephen was a devout follower of Orthodox christianity and his masons built a church after each of his battles. Sturdy and graceful at the same time, the building of Voroneţ is a classic example of the Moldavian architectural style. It combines Byzantine and Gothic elements but is put together with a flair that is entirely home-grown.
The church was extended in the 1540s when Stephen’s cousin Archbishop Roşca had the outside murals added; it was already beautifully painted inside. The entire outer face of the west end wall carries a particularly striking composition called The Last Judgment which emphasises the terrible consequences of living a sinful life. Like many of the painted churches this theme has a political slant, and pointedly denigrates certain groups of people whom Moldavia’s 16th century rulers regarded as their enemies for reasons which to us often seem quite obscure. These included Ottoman Turks, Catholics, Jews, Armenians and Persians too.
In the middle of the bottom row in the huge fresco showing the Last Judgment at Voroneţ sits King David playing a cobza, a Romanian version of the lute.
To his right an angel with splendid wings draws the soul from the body of a good man who has just died while devils and an avenging angel plague the sinner lying under a red blanket to his left.
On the extreme left of this image you can see part of a crowd of holy men and women jostling for a place in Paradise and on the right edge, one of the slavering heads of Cerberus bares its teeth as the hound of hell rises from the fiery river of Gehenna.
Beautifully painted in the Neo-Byzantine style which characterises most of Moldavia’s Orthodox shrines, this and many of the other frescoes on the walls of this rugged building were meant to impress 16th century spectators with the Church’s moral and physical strength in times of great uncertainty.
