Bogdana Monastery
Encyclopedia
Bogdana Monastery is an Eastern Orthodox monastery in the town of Rădăuți
, northern Romania
. Its church is the oldest still standing religious building in Moldavia
. The monastery was built by Bogdan I of Moldavia
(1359–1365) somewhere around 1360.
It was to become his and some the Muşatini voievods necropolis
. Here are buried all the rulers of Moldavia from Bogdan I to Alexandru cel Bun
. There are ten graves
inside the monastery's church:
The graves were attended to, and marked properly by Ştefan cel Mare. The rocks on top of the graves were created by Jan (c. 1480) at the order of Ştefan cel Mare, "in a style that is different by principle from the oriental decorative sculpture" (P. Comarnescu). They are decorated with Byzantine-oriental ornaments like palmata–a stylized palm plant leaf and local motives like leaves of beech
, ash tree
leaves, elm tree leaves.
In 1559, Alexandru Lăpuşneanu
enlarged the church building.
The first internal painting of the church is from the times of Alexandru cel Bun (14th century). In 1558 Alexandru Lăpuşneanu started the restoration of the original painting. Other restorations happened in the 18th and 19th centuries: between 1745 and 1750, in the time of Bishop Iacob Putneanul and in 1880 when Epaminonda Bucevschi, a Bukovinean painter, created the current fresco
in tempera
.
Radauti
Rădăuţi is a municipality in Suceava County, Romania with a population of 27,759 inhabitants.-Geography and demographics:Rădăuţi is situated in Bucovina, northern Moldavia, on a plain between the Suceava and Suceviţa rivers, north from Suceava, at 375 m altitude...
, northern Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. Its church is the oldest still standing religious building in Moldavia
Moldavia
Moldavia is a geographic and historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester river...
. The monastery was built by Bogdan I of Moldavia
Bogdan I of Moldavia
Bogdan I the Founder was the third or fourth voivode of Moldavia . He and his successors established the independence of Moldavia, freeing the territory east of the Carpathian Mountains of Hungarian and Tatar domination....
(1359–1365) somewhere around 1360.
It was to become his and some the Muşatini voievods necropolis
Necropolis
A necropolis is a large cemetery or burial ground, usually including structural tombs. The word comes from the Greek νεκρόπολις - nekropolis, literally meaning "city of the dead"...
. Here are buried all the rulers of Moldavia from Bogdan I to Alexandru cel Bun
Alexandru cel Bun
Alexander cel Bun was a Voivode of Moldavia, reigning between 1400 and 1432, son of Roman I Mușat. He succeeded Iuga to the throne, and, as a ruler, initiated a series of reforms while consolidating the status of the Moldavian Principality....
. There are ten graves
Graves
Graves is an important subregion of the Bordeaux wine region. Graves is situated on the left bank of the Garonne river, in the upstream part of the region, southeast of the city Bordeaux and stretch over...
inside the monastery's church:
- seven in the naosCellaA cella or naos , is the inner chamber of a temple in classical architecture, or a shop facing the street in domestic Roman architecture...
:- Bogdan I (in the south-eastern corner)
- Laţcu VoievodLatcu of MoldaviaLaţcu was the Voivode of Moldavia between circa 1365 and 1373. He was the son of Bogdan I. His name is a diminutive form of Vladislav , often used in that period in Hungary due the deep rooted cult to Saint Ladislaus I of Hungary....
(besides the same wall as Bogdan I) - an unmarked grave supposedly Maria's–Bogdan I's wife, or Ana's–Laţcu's wife; the grave is at the level of the ground and not above it as the other ones
- Ştefan I (on the northern wall)
- Roman IRoman I of MoldaviaRoman I was Voivode of Moldavia from December 1391 to March 1394. He was the second son of Costea Muşat, the first ruler from the Muşatin family....
(on the northern wall) - Bogdan, brother of Alexander the Good (on the northern wall)
- Bogdan, son of Alexander the Good (on the northern wall)
- three in the pronaos:
- Doamna Stana, wife of Bogdan III cel Chior and the mother of Ştefăniţă Vodă (on the northern side)
- Anastasia, daughter of Laţcu (on the northern side)
- Bishop Ioanichie (died 1504) (before the pronaos door)
The graves were attended to, and marked properly by Ştefan cel Mare. The rocks on top of the graves were created by Jan (c. 1480) at the order of Ştefan cel Mare, "in a style that is different by principle from the oriental decorative sculpture" (P. Comarnescu). They are decorated with Byzantine-oriental ornaments like palmata–a stylized palm plant leaf and local motives like leaves of beech
Beech
Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...
, ash tree
Ash tree
Fraxinus is a genus flowering plants in the olive and lilac family, Oleaceae. It contains 45-65 species of usually medium to large trees, mostly deciduous though a few subtropical species are evergreen. The tree's common English name, ash, goes back to the Old English æsc, while the generic name...
leaves, elm tree leaves.
In 1559, Alexandru Lăpuşneanu
Alexandru Lapusneanu
Alexandru Lăpuşneanu was Prince of Moldavia between September 1552 and 18 November 1561 and then between October 1564 and 5 May 1568....
enlarged the church building.
The first internal painting of the church is from the times of Alexandru cel Bun (14th century). In 1558 Alexandru Lăpuşneanu started the restoration of the original painting. Other restorations happened in the 18th and 19th centuries: between 1745 and 1750, in the time of Bishop Iacob Putneanul and in 1880 when Epaminonda Bucevschi, a Bukovinean painter, created the current fresco
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
in tempera
Tempera
Tempera, also known as egg tempera, is a permanent fast-drying painting medium consisting of colored pigment mixed with a water-soluble binder medium . Tempera also refers to the paintings done in this medium. Tempera paintings are very long lasting, and examples from the 1st centuries AD still exist...
.