The Putna monastery ( ro, Mănăstirea Putna) is a

Romanian Orthodox The Romanian Orthodox Church (ROC; ro, Biserica Ortodoxă Română, ), or Patriarchate of Romania, is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church in full communion with other Eastern Orthodox Christian churches, and one of the nine patriarchates ...

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whic ...

, one of the most important cultural, religious and artistic centers established in medieval

Moldavia Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and former principality in Centr ...

; as with many others, it was built and dedicated by Stephen the Great. Putna was founded on the lands perambulated by the Putna (which has its source in the Obcina Mare mountains,

Bukovina Bukovinagerman: Bukowina or ; hu, Bukovina; pl, Bukowina; ro, Bucovina; uk, Буковина, ; see also other languages. is a historical region, variously described as part of either Central or Eastern Europe (or both).Klaus Peter Berge ...

). Stephen the Great is famous for building and influencing the building of dozens of churches and monasteries all over Moldavia (allegedly, he founded a religious edifice after each important military victory). The Putna Monastery houses the tombs of Stephen —nowadays, a place of

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

—, and several of his family members. The icon veils and tombstones are held as fine examples of Moldavian art in Stephen the Great’s time.

History

Right after Stephen the Great won the battle in which he conquered the Kilia citadel, he began work on the monastery as a means to give thanks to God, on July 10, 1466 - the church was to be dedicated to the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

. Previous eremitic life (on the place the monastery was built) was proven by humans buried deep under the foundation of the oldest buildings from Stephen the Great. A

chronicle A chronicle ( la, chronica, from Greek ''chroniká'', from , ''chrónos'' – "time") is a historical account of events arranged in chronological order, as in a timeline. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and ...

of the time mentions that Stephen bought the Vicovu de Sus village in exchange for 200 '' zloty'', and awarded the land and revenue to the treasury of the monastery. Putna was completed in three years, but was consecrated only after one more year passed, given that the Moldavians engaged in other battles. On September 3, 1470, during a ceremony attended by Stephen and all his family, the monastery was

consecrated Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different gro ...

by Metropolitan Teoctist, and subsequently became the most important religious site in the area. The present church was practically rebuilt between 1653 and 1662 by

Vasile Lupu Lupu Coci, known as Vasile Lupu (; 1595–1661), was a Voivode of Moldavia of Albanian origin between 1634 and 1653. Lupu had secured the Moldavian throne in 1634 after a series of complicated intrigues and managed to hold it for twenty years. Va ...

and his successors. Although the building follows the ground plan of a typical 15th and 16th century Moldavian church, it has many architectural and decorative features that are characteristic of 17th century

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings ...

. For long, the site was believed to have been designed by a

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

architect named Theodor - the interpretation of the Kilia chronicles on which this was based has since been proven wrong. The oldest embroidery of the monastery, dated at the end of the 14th century, is an

epitaphion The Epitaphios (Greek: Ἐπιτάφιος, ''epitáphios'', or Ἐπιτάφιον, ''epitáphion''; Slavonic: Плащаница, ''plashchanitsa''; Arabic: نعش, ''naash'') is a Christian religious icon, typically consisting of a large, ...

made with silk and gold thread by Euphima, a Serbian nun, daughter of Vojihna, together with her daughter Euprasijka.

Burials

Stephen III of Moldavia Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; ...

Bogdan III the One-Eyed Bogdan III the One-Eyed ( ro, Bogdan al III-lea cel Chior) or Bogdan III the Blind () (March 18, 1479 – April 20, 1517) was Voivode of Moldavia from July 2, 1504, to 1517. Family Bogdan was born in Huşi as the son of Voivode Ştefan cel Mar ...

Maria of Mangup Maria Asanina Palaiologina ( el, Μαρία Ασανίνα Παλαιολογίνα, died 19 December 1477), better known as Maria of Mangup or Maria of Doros, was the second wife of Prince Stephen the Great (reigned 1457–1504) and as such Prince ...

Maria Voichița Doamna Maria Voichița (1457 – 26 February 1511) was a Princess consort of Moldavia (1480–1511), daughter of Radu III the Handsome and a niece of Vlad the Impaler. She was regarded to have an influence upon the policy of her spouse, Princ ...

Gallery

File:Grădina Edenului numită Putna impresionată de astrul de foc.jpg File:2012 06 24 8259 JPG0 Putna resize.jpg File:Putna.PNG File:05 Turnul Tezaur - Manastirea Putna.jpg File:Putna biserica veche2.jpg, Putna, Old Church File:Manastirea Putna - Turnul tezaurului.jpg File:Manastirea putna3.jpg, Putna Monastery File:Manastirea putna61.jpg File:Putna Monastery - Bukovina - Romania 4.jpg File:Pictura murala, Manastirea Putna.jpg File:Manastirea putna5.jpg, Putna Monastery File:Manastirea putna1.jpg

References

External links

Putna

Romanian website of Putna Monastery, english version available

Audio webcasting from Putna Monastery, every Sunday and orthodox feasts
{{Coord, 47, 51, 57.6, N, 25, 35, 47.5, E, display=title, type:landmark_scale:4000_region:RO-SV Churches completed in 1470 Bukovina Romanian Orthodox monasteries of Suceava County Historic monuments in Suceava County Christian monasteries established in the 15th century Churches established by Stephen the Great