Humor Monastery

One of Bucovina's religious wonders is the Humor Monastery. Humor Monastery is over 500 years old and is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, along with the painted churches from Voronet, Sucevita, and Moldovita. But even today, its Byzantine frescoes are unique and irreplaceable. It is a nunnery dedicated to the Theotokos, or Dormition of the Virgin Mary.

It is located 5 kilometers away from the town of Gura Humorului, in the picturesque village with the same name, on the crest of a hill surrounded by trees and meadows, in the middle of a legendary land of overwhelming beauty, founded on the advice of voivode Petru Rares.

The monastery of Humor, which was built in 1530 on the location of an older church, varies from other painted churches in a variety of techniques, notably its smaller size and the absence of a steeple from its cross-shaped roof. Brick red is the predominant colour of 1535 frescoes at Humor.

Until the end of the 18th century, when Bucovina joined the Habsburg Empire, Humor Monastery continued to serve a religious purpose. The monastic life in Humor was abolished by the Austrian government, and only the church was permitted to continue with its religious duties. Only in 1991, more than 200 years later, the monastery was rebuilt.

The structure was originally built as a triconch church and it combines local and Gothic architectural characteristics. Gothic impacts are visible in the shape of the doors and windows. The inscription above the church entrance includes both the name of the founder and the name of Prince Petru Rares. The funeral monument for the founder is located underneath the portrait on the monument opposite the street. Petru Rares and his wife are buried together in the church crypt aswell. A protective tower with a massive stone wall, characteristic of Transylvania's fortified churches, was built in 1641.

The Humor Monastery continues to fulfil Thomas the Baptist's prophecy that it can "go through eternity" by the beauty of the outside painting with the help of its 12 oblates nuns and two priest ministers. The nuns continue to build their "convent in their hearts" by continually praying and working constantly to fulfil their mission to maintain the monument's original valuable for all people.