Humor Monastery is one of the religious masterpieces of Bucovina, a region best-known for its many churches and monasteries. Part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, alongside the painted churches from Voronet, Sucevita or Moldovita, Humor Monastery is almost 500 years old. Its Byzantine frescoes remain, nonetheless, rare and precious until today.Built in 1530 on the premises of an older church, the monastery of Humor has several particularities that differentiate it from other painted churches, including its smaller size and the absence of a steeple from its cross-shaped roof. These distinctive elements indicate the position of its founder who was a rich first rank court official, but was not a prince. Still, the name of Prince Petru Rares appears alongside the name of the founder, Toader Bubuiog, on the inscription placed above the church entry.

Also known as the ‘the Sistine Chapel of the East’ due to its splendid frescoes, the church of the Monastery of Voronet was built in just a couple of months, in 1488, by Stephen the Great, the most popular prince of Moldavia, after one of his victories against the Ottoman armies. This was a common practice of the prince who promoted an architecture known as the Moldavian style. Many of the churches built this way are still preserved until today in the regions of Moldavia and Bucovina. Of small, but well-balanced proportions, the church of Voronet Monastery is representative for the Moldavian style, having also Gothic and Byzantine-inspired elements. It was from the very beginning more than a religious edifice. Its frescoes highlighted the moral stories of the Bible for the illiterate villagers of the time, persuading them to act according to the Christian norms. Exquisite testimonies of their painters’ talent, the frescoes of Voronet conserve a centuries-old secret. The distinct ‘Voronet blue’ color is unique in the world, and its composition is almost impossible to replicate today. The 15th and 16th-century frescoes are the main attraction of the church, a masterpiece of Byzantine art.