Voronet: MRA-ROU-Vor002
Type Sample Item
Sample ID
- MRA-ROU-Vor002
Sample Material Type
- Mural painting
Sample Sub-type
- fragment
micro-fragment
Dimensions (cm)
- Length
- 3.4
- Width
- 2.35
- Height
- 0.4
- Notes
- left fragment
- Length
- 3.5
- Width
- 2.2
- Height
- 0.4
- Notes
- right fragment
Weight
- weight value (g)
- 5.75
- Notes
- all fragments together
Geographic Location
- Country
- Romania
- Place
- Voronet
Site/monument
- Romania (ROU)
Voronet
Voronet Monastery
Historical note about the site/monument
- The Voroneț Monastery is located in the village of Voroneț, nowadays part of Gura Humurului, in northern Romania. The monastery was built by Stephen the Great in 1488. The legend tells us that Stephen was in crisis during the invasion of the Ottoman Turks and went to visit Daniel the Hermit in the monastery located in Voroneț to ask for advice. Daniel says not to surrender the fight and that he would be blessed by the victory. To celebrate the defeat of the Turks, Stephen the Great built a monastery and dedicated it to Saint George. Initially, the monastery consisted on the church dedicated to St. George and only half a century later (1547), the Metropolitan Bishop of Moldavia added an exonarthex to the church. Other buildings that were part of the monastery at the time: tombstones created to commemorate St. Daniel the Hermit, Grigorie Roșca, and other patrons of the church and noblemen. The monastery had also an important school of calligraphy for ecclesiasts. When the north of Moldavia was annexed to the Habsburg Monarchy, the monastery was abandoned after 1775. Only in 1991, the monastic community was restored and is nowadays active in the expansion of the monastic ensemble adding a chapel, a house for pilgrims, another for nuns and stables. The main church, or katholicon, dedicated to St. George is maybe the most well-known of Romania, and remarkable for the lavishness of the decoration to its exterior. Also called “the Sistine Chapel of the East”, the frescoes were painted between 1534 and 1535, under the kingdom of Petru Rareş a successor of Stephen the Great. Grigore Roşca commissioned their realisation, that feature Old and New Biblical stories. Most of the paintings are realised in a vivid blue colour, that is thus called “Voronet blue”. The north façade still presents the original decoration of the church, with the rows of ceramic enamelled discs in various colours and decorated in relief. These include heraldic motifs and creatures of the Western European mediaeval literature. On almost the centre of the church, there is a tower that hosts numerous tall niches, in four of which are windows. A row of small niches encircles the tower above them. The fragmented roof probably follows the shape of the original roof, which doubtless was made with shingles.
Further reading:
Istudor, Ioan (2008). The Church of Voronet Monastery: technical considerations of the mural paintings. In: E-conservation, (7), pp.26-40.
Simionovici, Elena (2001). The sacred monastery of Voronet. Translated by Ligia Doina Constantinescu. Sibiu: Thausib. ISBN 973-97726-7-6.
Chronological period (sample)
- 15th-16th century
Date of sampling
- Unknown
- Yes
Other related archival documents
- Official letter from Direction des Monuments historiques to the Director of ICR for the samples assignments [ photo 20180803_145150]. The document includes the list of samples with description and sampling place [photos 20180803_115031; 20180803_145211 and 20180803_145230]; image of the sampling places [photos 20180803_144839 and 20180803_144921 ] and ambiental condition data [photo 20180803_145250]. EB86: folder 12_Romania 1961
Related samples
- This sample is related with sample MRA-ROU-Vor001 and samples from MRA-ROU-Vor003 to MRA-ROU-Vor009
Other information about the sample
- The samples were sent to ICR for analysis. The goals of the research are unknown.
Support
- Support material type
- Lime-based mortar
- Colour (from bottom to top)
- White
- Material description
- Lime-based mortar with fine siliceous and lithic aggregates (˂1mm), coarse ceramic fragments and straw pieces
Finishing Layers
- Finishing layers material type
- Paint layer
- Colour
- Yellowish green
- Material description
- Yellowish green paint layer. It could be an intencional mixture/overlay between the pigments or it could be pigments alteration. White overpaint visible in one of the fragments - possible decorative motifs.