Bogdana Monastery in Rădăuți: the first princely necropolis
Bogdana Monastery (Mănăstirea Bogdana) is a Romanian Orthodox monastery in the town of Rădăuți, in Suceava County, northern Romania. Its church of St Nicholas, founded around 1360 by Bogdan I, is regarded as the oldest surviving religious building in Moldavia and holds the graves of the early rulers of the principality.
In a quiet street of Rădăuți stands what is considered the oldest surviving church in Moldavia, where the first rulers of the principality lie in ten graves.
The history of Bogdana Monastery
Bogdana belongs to the very beginnings of the Moldavian state. The church of St Nicholas was founded by Bogdan I (1359–1365), the ruler regarded as the founder of the principality, around 1360. Tradition says he built it in thanks for the victories that let him establish a free state east of the Carpathians; the site was then surrounded by ancient forest. Archaeology has shown that a wooden building stood here before the stone church. He chose it as the burial place of his dynasty, and the rulers of Moldavia from Bogdan I down to Alexander the Good were laid to rest here, together with relatives of the ruling families.
Under Alexander the Good (1400–1432) the church became an episcopal seat, and the bishops of Rădăuți lived inside the monastery. Around 1480 Stephen the Great had the graves of his ancestors marked with finely carved stone slabs, made by a master named Jan, with Slavonic inscriptions and a shield showing a bison’s head with a star between its horns. In 1517 Bogdan III gave the monastery a donation, in return for prayers for his soul, which a slab on the altar wall records. In 1559 Alexandru Lăpușneanu restored the church, had its older paintings renewed and added an enclosed porch with a Slavonic inscription beside the south door.
In the 17th and early 18th centuries manuscripts were copied here, including a Slavonic Gospel book of 1613, and in 1744 Bishop Varlaam set up a printing press that produced church books; it was moved to Iași in 1750. Everything changed in 1775, when northern Moldavia was annexed by the Habsburg Empire. A bell tower was built in 1781, but the episcopal seat moved to Cernăuți in 1782, and in 1783 the monastery was dissolved. The church became a parish church, part of the monks’ cells was pulled down and the rest was turned into stables for the Austrian garrison. A parish house followed in 1876, and around 1880 the painter Epaminonda Bucevschi painted the present frescoes in tempera.
When Bukovina joined the Kingdom of Romania in 1918 the monastery was not revived, and the church stayed a parish church until the communist regime closed it in the later 20th century. On 6 December 1992 Archbishop Pimen Zainea re-founded Bogdana as a monastery with a community of monks. A new oak iconostasis was installed in 1996, and in 1998 a block of cells with a guest wing and a new church dedicated to St Leontie of Rădăuți, roofed in copper, were completed. The old church, bell tower and parish house are listed as historic monuments.
Curiosities about Bogdana Monastery
- The church of St Nicholas is considered the oldest surviving religious building in Moldavia, and it is one of the earliest stone churches in the principality.
- Ten princely graves lie inside: seven in the naos and three in the pronaos, including Bogdan I in the south-eastern corner and his successor Lațcu beside him.
- The slabs over the graves were carved around 1480 by a master named Jan, on the orders of Stephen the Great. They combine Byzantine-oriental ornament with local leaf motifs, such as beech, ash and elm.
- The inscription on Bogdan I’s slab ends with a shield bearing a bison’s head with a star between its horns, the emblem associated with Moldavia.
- An archaeological dig has shown that a wooden building stood on the site before the stone church, and the church shows a mix of Romanesque, Gothic and Byzantine elements.
- In 1744 a printing press was set up here by Bishop Varlaam; the Book of Hours (Ceaslov) printed in 1745 is still kept in the monastery’s collection.
Tours near Bogdana Monastery
Experiences in the area that you can book online with Viator:
Visiting Bogdana Monastery: what to see
- The old church of St Nicholas is the heart of the visit: a basilica with smooth outer walls and a frieze under the eaves, with the princely tombs inside.
- Look for the carved grave slabs of about 1480 and for the Slavonic inscriptions near the entrance and the south door.
- The bell tower of 1781 and the parish house of 1876 belong to the listed ensemble, next to the newer church of St Leontie of Rădăuți (1998).
- Arbore Church lies about 12 km away, Sucevița Monastery about 17 km, Putna Monastery about 24 km and Dragomirna about 25 km, so Bogdana fits well into a Bukovina circuit.
- It is a working monastery, so dress modestly and check the current opening hours before you go.
Opening hours, access and conditions can change. Check before you go.
Map: where Bogdana Monastery is
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors
Photos of Bogdana Monastery
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Questions
Where is Bogdana Monastery?
It stands in the town of Rădăuți, in Suceava County, in the historic region of Bukovina in northern Romania.
Why is Bogdana Monastery important?
Its church of St Nicholas is considered the oldest surviving religious building in Moldavia, and it was the burial place of the early Moldavian rulers.
Who founded Bogdana Monastery?
Bogdan I, the ruler regarded as the founder of Moldavia, built the church around 1360, during his reign of 1359–1365.
Who is buried at Bogdana Monastery?
Ten graves lie in the church, among them Bogdan I, his successor Lațcu, Ștefan I, Roman I and members of the Mușat family, as well as Bishop Ioanichie.
Is Bogdana still a working monastery?
Yes. After being dissolved in 1783, it was re-founded on 6 December 1992 with a community of monks.
What can you visit near Bogdana Monastery?
Arbore Church is about 12 km away, Sucevița Monastery about 17 km, Putna Monastery about 24 km and Dragomirna about 25 km.
Also nearby
Arbore Church
Suceava · small painted church built in 1502
12 km away
Sucevița Monastery
Bukovina · fortified convent with a UNESCO painted church
17 km away
Putna Monastery
Suceava · Stephen the Great’s tomb and trail start
24 km away
Dragomirna Monastery
Suceava · narrow 42 m church inside fortified walls
25 km away