The Journey Continues

Traveling from Iassy we journeyed north almost to the Romanian-Ukrainian border where we arrived at the village of Voronet where the Blue Monastery is located. This monastery was founded in 1488 and the notion of painting frescos on the outside of the monasteries is credited to Grigore Rosca, who was the Metropolitan of Moldavia. These frescos were completed in the mid fifteenth century and depict the Easter orthodox rite of Christianity. They were painted at a time when most of the faithful were illiterate and the frescos tell the story of Byzantine Christianity and included local mythology and dragons. The blue color of Voronet is made from Lapis Lazuli and is said to be most vibrant just before the rain. We arrived at this monastery before the rain and were fortunate to see the splendor of the color. Professor Mihaela Dumitriu informed me that although this color has been scientifically analyzed, it has not been duplicated anywhere but in this region. The large fresco on the rear wall of the monastery depicts the “Last Judgment”. Visitors arriving at the monastery in clothing deemed inappropriate are provided with a black pullover to maintain modesty