An Orthodox monastery built in the 15th century in the Romanian village of Sucevița, in the Bukovina region.
Sucevița Monastery is one of the four Bukovinian monasteries inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
It was founded in 1585 by Prince Gheorghe Movilă, and construction lasted about 10 years. Sucevița is especially famous for its frescoes, considered among the most impressive of all the painted monasteries of Bukovina. These frescoes depict biblical scenes, the lives of saints and martyrs, as well as various Christian symbols. A distinctive feature of Sucevița’s murals is their rich palette of colors, particularly the deep green used in vegetal motifs.
The monastery also houses many valuable items, such as handwritten manuscripts, icons, and relics. Today, Sucevița remains an important center of religious and cultural life in Bukovina, as well as a popular tourist destination.
The exterior fresco on the eastern side of the church, covering the three apses, presents a single monumental composition known as The Last Supper. The scene is divided into seven horizontal registers illustrating heavenly and earthly hierarchies: seraphim, angels, prophets, apostles, bishops, martyrs, hermits, and monks.
On the southern façade, at the end of the apse, there is another grand composition called The Tree of Jesse, symbolically representing both the physical and spiritual genealogy of Christ — his ancestors and all those who foretold his coming to earth.
The northern façade features Sucevița’s most celebrated outdoor painting ensemble, known as The Ladder of St. John Climacus (from the monk who wrote the famous work on the “ladder to heaven”). This scene reflects the ancient popular belief that after death the soul must pass through several ordeals — so-called “aerial customs” — before reaching the ultimate Judge. (This fresco is often called The Ladder of Heaven or The Ladder of Virtues.)
Inside the monastery’s museum is a gilded silver capsule containing the hair of Elisaveta, wife of Ieremia Movilă. In 1617 Elisaveta and her son Alexandru were captured by the Turks and taken to Constantinople. As a sign of her endless grief, she cut off her hair and sent it back to Sucevița.
The eastern part of the church with the apse
The defensive walls and monastic buildings
