Bucovina - a Travel Guide to Romania s Region of Painted Monasteries

Descriere

512 pages
784 photographs
387 colour and black and white drawings
10 aquarelles
Although the name Bucovina might not be familiar to everyone, Bucovina, and its brave princes, played an important part in the history of this European region, and in particular with regard to relations with the Ottoman Empire. The impressive number of churches to be found there, with their fine exterior and interior frescoes, have been preserved and handed down from mediaeval times, and because of their uniqueness and artistic value, were added to UNESCO's World Cultural Heritage List in 1993. There is no other place in the world where such a group of churches, with such high quality exterior frescoes, are to be seen.
Each year, tens of thousands of tourists visit the well-established monasteries of the region, coming from every corner of the world. People interested in the churches exist, but until now useful information for them did not. This guidebook was prepared to satisfy the demand of the tourists who travel to Romania and visit the region of Bucovina.
No other book describes, in such a simple but exhaustive a manner, what the paintings show or what was their meaning when they were created. This new guidebook introduces the unique architecture and magnificent art of the Painted Monasteries of Bucovina. Besides these famous monuments, a total of 24 interesting churches and monasteries are portrayed in this book.
The guidebook gives accurate practical information for tourists who wish to visit Bucovina. Chapters telling how to reach the region, what to see and where to stay are found at the end of the book, as well as a short phrasebook with the most common words in Romanian. The first part of the book tells about the historical background of the region, of the still continued traditional way of life, and of local architecture and art.
Eighteen of the most significant monasteries and churches of Bucovina, and six others in nearby Neamt County, are described in this book. For each monastery there is an explanatory text, along with photographs of the church, the compound and the wall paintings, and for the most important ones there are also detailed three-dimensional illustrations and cutaways. A unique feature is the line drawings, made especially for this book, of the interior and exterior frescoes of the most representative churches. These line drawings are detailed and full of information, and will help the reader to identify scenes, which are painted high up on the walls, or may be difficult to locate among the profusion of frescoes.
Altogether there are 784 full-colour photographs in the guidebook. In addition there are 347 colour and black and white drawings, as well as ten aquarelles made especially for this book, to render it more useful for the traveller.
There are special openings on the different architectural features of the monuments, windows, doors, towers, and monastic buildings, illustrated with examples of stylistic differences and drawings. Further, there are openings with drawings on such subjects as Prehistoric Moldavia, The Dacians and the Romans, Stephen the Great, Petru Rare[ and the Painted Churches, Moldavia and a United Romania, Soba - the Heart of the House, The Traditional Farmyard in Bucovina, and Sheepfolds of Bucovina.
The first part of the book is divided into four chapters: Geography, History, Life and Style, and Art, Architecture and Religion. Here are found extensive texts on the background and history of Moldavia and Bucovina, in relation to both Romania and Europe. These chapters describe the phenomenon of the painted churches, why they were created, and what was the historical context. But not only history and monuments are handled here, but the everyday life and customs of the people of Bucovina is explained and illustrated with photographs and drawings.
The last part of the book gives practical information and tips on travel to and in Romania. Here are chapters on what to see, where to stay, what to buy and to eat, to get the most of Bucovina.