Romania's painted monasteries | World Ramblers

21st Aug, 2008

Romania’s Painted Monasteries

The Romanian village of Gura Humorului is located in northern Romania in an area known as southern Bucovina and is also known as an excellent base for visiting the painted monasteries. Scenic and full of pensions, hotels and a campground, tourists can easily find accommodation in this small and growing mountain town. The land surrounding Gura Humorului (or as I nick named ‘The Guru Town’) is a fertile rich land of forests and water-ways, giving way to the plains that lie further east. Homes are built strong here for the cold winter months and beckon a visitor to return to feel the inside of their thick heated walls and view snow capped mountains, yet I was here during the warm summer month of July.

Getting There:

I had decided it would be well worth the 9 hour train journey from Oradea, across the Carpathian Mountains, rivers, remote and scenic villages to witness the great artistic monuments designated as UNESCO World Heritage sites. I had a romantic image of my visit which was even further infatuated by the fact I had already purchased a bottle of water named after this region with a picture of fresh, pure and clean water falling from a majestic mountain peak; I was sold.

The train Rich and I took departed in the morning from Oradea, it was a cramped accelerate train, meaning middle scale pace in Romania as compared with rapid/express trains (obviously fast) and Persoane (the slowest and cheapest train option). Our reservations were in a second class wagon and the section we were assigned to appeared to seat 6 people, but in reality this was an 8 person section…and 8 people did board the train to sit in this section. Our neighbors all Romanian and friendly did not smell the best over the duration of the journey. Hot weather, scary toilets, no air conditioning and bad breath did not help the situation; but smiles were shared and destinations were met.

TRAVELERS TIP:
Luggage space on trains can often be cramped so it may be wise to board your departing train as early as possible to assure a place for large bags.

Gura Humorului:

From the train station we just walked into town with our large rucksacks in tow and merely asked for a room at a pension. The place we decided on was in the right location overlooking the center market about a 15 minute walk from the rail station and was quite reasonable in price.

A little congested with traffic in the center, Gura Humorului is a quiet town for the most part. Originally built as a logging town, numerous pensions and several hotels have cashed in on the up and coming tourism that is still growing. The locals are friendly and interested in the visitor from a land faraway. There are only a handful of restaurants to choose from and milk does become scarce in this neck of the woods, so no matter what kind of coffee you think you ordered a surprise awaits. Another option is to eat at pensions and local fast food eateries. For those camping a fresh produce market awaits in the town center selling meats, cheeses, seasonal fruits and vegetables as well as homemade red wine, by the liter only! A seasoned traveler can find a real and stunning Romania here just waiting to be discovered.

Painted Monasteries:

Your anticipation and research can never prepare you for the real travel that awaits. After getting situated in Gura Humorului it was time to visit the monasteries. I had heard of these rare works of art, covered with 16th century frescos depicting stories from the bible. I was in Romania, not far from setting foot inside one of them and yet I didn’t know how to reach the monasteries?

Tours of the many monasteries depart from the nearby city of Suceava, but sadly Gura Hurmorului did not offer tours. Fortunately we found a helpful local working at the Best Western in town. She shared some tidbits of information telling us we could only make our own way to visit two of the many monasteries. This was a little disappointing after taking a 9 hour train journey to visit all of them. We purchased a colorful map from our friendly local and took her advice. Renting a car is probably the best way to maneuver around from one painted church to the next, but this would not be ideal due to the recent flooding. Many roads were washed out making some of the churches inaccessible during our visit.

The first monastery we visited was Voronet, just 5 kilometers from the village center. There is no public transport to this monastery so we opted to take a taxi and then walk back. Arriving at the monastery we paid the small entrance fee. It was here at the entrance that Rich was clothed with a skirt and cape to cover his shoulders and knees, as all visitors are asked to do so, male or female. So upon entry my spirits were lightened (look at the photos) and enamored with the beauty Voronet possesses. The monastery is small and in the typical shape of most Romanian churches. Lovingly designed and painted of frescos in “Voronet blue” telling biblical tales such as, The Last Judgment. The church is known as the “Sistine Chapel of the East” and was founded in 1487 by Stephen the Great to mark the victorious defeat over the Turks.

After our visit we strolled back to town along the road our taxi driver had previously glided down that morning. Winding between the green gullies’s and forested hillside, we cautiously strode past horse carts and attempted to stop stray dogs following us. It was warmer today than the day before and this added to our ever growing appetite after a nice walk. We rested in town to beat the heat before setting out to see Humor.

Humor was the easiest and cheapest to access. Mini-taxi buses run from the center of town stopping along the way to pick up more passengers and drop a few off, luckily for tourists this runs in the direction of Humor. The ride is about ten minutes from the center with several stops. Once we were dropped off at the second monastery we passed the many craft and food stalls on our way to the painted church surrounded by a tall wooden fence. A sacred air patiently waited in the background, past the sweet roasted almonds, polyester head scarves, gypsy blouses and postcards. We paid our entrance to the sister and noted once again a photo tax must be paid to take photos. Humor Monastery was founded in 1530 and houses a collection of valuable objects clustered towards the back of the church. The frescos painted inside were being restored during our visit, blocking our chance to view the depiction of The Return of the Prodigal Son, an obstacle I didn’t expect. We peered through the wooden ladders and boards to watch the steady hand of an artist bathing an old scripture in reds and blues.

There is a watch tower that can still be climbed and after slithering through a very small passage of stairs a rewarding view of rural Romanian countryside awaits.

After visiting the two monasteries we headed to the pension for dinner and a couple of cold beers to revisit the day. With all the effort, time and money to get to Gura Hurmorului I was still a little hungry for more. Possibly further research on visiting the monasteries may have deterred us, but we arrived on a whim with a useless guidebook in the aftermath of floods. Southern Bucovina turned out to be a charmer, home to charismatic Romanians and fertile hillsides that hide the imperfections many villages have. This was the real treat for me. The monasteries were holy and old, made of genuine love for god they held a simple beauty of enormous faith and we only visited each for about 20 minutes. They were small inside and out and carried the smell of wet earth from time long ago. I am glad to have visited such treasures, but I would warn one that the journey is long and costly so definitely research the area and don’t get lost in the romance of a distant journey through the Carpathian Mountains.

TRAVELERS TIP:
When visiting the monasteries be sure to wear clothes that cover shoulders and knees.
Be prepared to pay a photo tax on entry if you would like to take pictures of the monasteries.

[Show as slideshow]