Humor Monastery is located just 5 km from the town of Gura Humorului, on the Humor River valley. It was founded by the monk Teodor Bubuiog, under the guidance of voivode Petru Rareș. It is notable for its exterior painting, unique in its “humor red”.
This is also known as the Humor Monastery, being an Orthodox monastery in the homonymous locality, dating back to 1530.
The monastic complex includes four objectives:
The Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and St. George – which was built in 1530;
The ruins of the monastery houses – dating from the 16th – 18th centuries;
The bell tower – which dates back to the 19th century;
Vasile Lupu’s Tower – which was built in 1641.
The Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and St. George was included in the group of Painted Churches in Northern Moldova by UNESCO in 1993.
Brief history of Humor Monastery
Humor Monastery dates back, according to historical sources, to the 15th century, when during the reign of Alexander the Good, a stone church was built on the bank of a stream. There was already a hermitage of monks serving at a wooden church here, and Humor Monastery was later formed around the newly built church.
Over time, Humor Monastery received various donations from the rulers of the time, from the Pârteșteni estate, offered by Alexandru cel Bun, to various other precious objects and manuscripts.
Humor Monastery also had less happy times, of difficult trials, such as the year 1527 when the church of the vornicul Ivan collapsed, its ruins still being visible today at a distance of only 500 meters from the current church.
Along with the construction of the new church, several cells for the monks were erected, as well as walls intended to protect the monastery in the event of an attack.
The consecration of the church took place in 1930, on August 15, when the Dormition of the Mother of God is celebrated. The exterior painting of the monastery was done in 1535 and has been preserved in good condition until the present day.
Later, in 1641, the walls were strengthened and a defense tower was built, at the decision of Prince Vasile Lupu.
Like most monasteries in Bukovina, the occupation of northern Moldova by the Austrians represented a difficult time for the Humor Monastery, which was dissolved a year later.
Humor Monastery was renovated between 1868 and 1888, and later underwent several modernization and consolidation works between 1960 and 1961 and 1967 and 1970. In the following years, the painting in the narthex and the crypt was completely restored.
Architecture and attractions
The Humor Monastery Church is the burial place for its founders, but also for several dignitaries from the medieval Moldavian period, such as the logophate Toader Bubuiog and his wife, Anastasia, Bishop Eftimie of Rădăuți or the logophate Solomon.
The architecture of the Humor Monastery is notable for a number of distinctive features, such as the lack of a spire above the nave, being built in a triconch plan. The open porch is also an element that represented a novelty in the architectural style of the times. The crypt represents another element of novelty. We find several elements in the Gothic style but also traditional niches, such as the proscomidiar and the diaconicon.
The monastery’s heritage includes several objects of great value, including a wooden cross dating from 1623, various large icons painted in the 15th – 16th centuries, as well as an analoghion from 1545, a wooden royal jet and a gilded and carved iconostasis.
As for the interior painting of the monastery, it stands out for its numerous votive paintings, while the original exterior painting is special for the specific red shades of this church that can be observed despite the degree of damage.
Visiting fees
The fee to visit the monastery is 5 lei for adults, and the fee for taking photos outside is 10 lei, photography inside the monastery being prohibited.
