Sucevița Monastery: Bukovina’s fortified painted church
Sucevița Monastery (Mănăstirea Sucevița) is a fortified Orthodox convent in the village of Sucevița, 18 km from Rădăuți in Suceava County, Romania. Built by the Movilă family in the 1580s, its Church of the Resurrection is one of the painted churches of Moldavia, listed by UNESCO in 2010.
Sucevița looks like a small fortress, but inside its 6-metre walls stands a church painted inside and out, with a great ladder to heaven where demons try to pull the climbers down.
The history of Sucevița Monastery
Tradition places a wooden church and a hermitage in the Sucevița valley as early as the beginning of the 16th century. The monastery appears in documents in 1582, during the reign of Prince Petru Șchiopul. A local legend adds that a woman, to atone for her sins, brought the stone for the present buildings by ox-cart over thirty years, using a cart drawn by buffaloes.
The real founders were the Movilă family: the brothers Ieremia, Simion and Gheorghe, great boyars and scholars who later held high office. Gheorghe became bishop of Rădăuți and later Metropolitan of Moldavia, while Ieremia and Simion became princes. Under Petru Șchiopul the three brothers were advisers to the ruler and had considerable wealth, and they began the church in the 1580s. Its architecture mixes Byzantine and Gothic elements with features of the old wooden churches of Moldavia, and it keeps the trefoil plan and closed porch established in the age of Stephen the Great.
After Ieremia Movilă became prince of Moldavia in 1595, the complex grew. He added two open porches on the north and south sides, which echo the architecture of Wallachia, and surrounded the monastery with fortified walls. The enclosure is almost square, about 100 by 104 metres, with walls six metres high and three metres thick, buttresses, loopholes, a wall-walk and four corner towers. Another tower stands over the entrance passage, with a small chapel. Ieremia also added a princely residence, now in ruins, and the monks’ cells. These defences give Sucevița the look of a medieval citadel.
The paintings were made around the turn of the 17th century and cover the walls inside and out. They are famous for their storytelling and for their state of preservation. Sucevița was also a centre for copying manuscripts and later for printing, and its museum shows the tomb covers of Ieremia and Simion, silverware and books. Ieremia Movilă died in 1606 and lies in the church with his brother Simion. In 2010 the Church of the Resurrection was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Painted Churches of Moldavia, joining Arbore, Humor, Moldovița, Pătrăuți, Probota, Suceava and Voroneț.
Curiosities about Sucevița Monastery
- On the north façade, the Ladder of Virtue shows people climbing to the gate of heaven while demons try to drag them down into the abyss and angels hover above. The climbers are dressed like monks.
- The south façade has fourteen 16th-century portraits of ancient Greek thinkers, including Plato, Aristotle, Pythagoras, Sophocles, Solon and the philosopher Porphyry, plus a Sibyl, shown on a Christian church wall.
- On the apses, seven registers show the Prayer of All Saints, a theme described as unique in Orthodox Christian art.
- Dark green is the dominant colour of the murals, and it is still visible even on the north wall, which is exposed to the weather.
- The Movilă brothers are buried in the church; the family’s votive portraits are in the nave, with Ieremia and his relatives on one side and the Metropolitan Gheorghe on the other.
- Sucevița is the second major attraction on the Via Transilvanica long-distance trail, after Putna Monastery.
Tours near Sucevița Monastery
Experiences in the area that you can book online with Viator:
Visiting Sucevița Monastery: what to see
- Walk round the church to see the exterior paintings, especially the Ladder of Virtue on the north façade and the Tree of Jesse above the philosophers on the south side.
- Inside, the cycles of saints (John the New in the exonarthex, Nicholas and George in the pronaos) and the votive portraits of the Movilă family show the storytelling style of the painters.
- The thick walls shelter a museum with tomb covers embroidered in silver thread, ecclesiastical silverware, books and illuminated manuscripts.
- Look at the towers, the wall-walk and the ruins of the old princely house to understand how it was a fortified residence.
- Sucevița is a working convent, so dress and behave respectfully, and check the current opening hours before you go.
Opening hours, access and conditions can change. Check before you go.
Map: where Sucevița Monastery is
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors
Photos of Sucevița Monastery
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Questions
Where is Sucevița Monastery?
It is in the village of Sucevița in Suceava County, in the southern part of Bukovina, about 18 km from the town of Rădăuți.
Who built Sucevița Monastery?
The Movilă family built it in the 1580s. The brothers Ieremia, Simion and Gheorghe Movilă were the founders, and Ieremia later added the fortifications.
Is Sucevița Monastery a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
Yes. Since 2010 its Church of the Resurrection has been part of the UNESCO listing of the Painted Churches of Moldavia.
What is the Ladder of Virtue at Sucevița?
It is a huge fresco on the north façade showing people climbing a ladder to heaven while demons try to pull them down, symbolising the struggle between good and evil.
Is Sucevița Monastery still active?
Yes. It is an Orthodox convent, a community of nuns, with a museum inside its walls.
What else can you see near Sucevița Monastery?
Putna Monastery is about 13 km away, while Arbore Church, Bogdana Monastery and Moldovița Monastery are each about 17 km away.
Also nearby
Putna Monastery
Suceava · Stephen the Great’s tomb and trail start
13 km away
Bogdana Monastery
Rădăuți · oldest church in Moldavia, princely tombs
17 km away
Moldovița Monastery
Bukovina · fortified nunnery with UNESCO frescoes
17 km away
Arbore Church
Suceava · small painted church built in 1502
17 km away