I AM staring up at a vast
mural, The Siege of Constantinople, that shows the city in
all its Byzantine glory. The dominant colour is ox-blood red, as it
is in the huge fresco St George and the Dragon. Both are
painted in a style that combines formal tradition with cartoon-like
folk art.
As I take in the detail,
the scent of roses drifts in on the breeze - a reminder that these
extraordinary frescos are not inside a dark church, but outside,
adorning the walls of the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin,
in the village of Humor, in northern Romania.
Humor would receive few
visitors were it not for the remarkable murals of its monastery
church, one of eight in the Southern Bucovina region awarded UNESCO
World Heritage status.
The frescos are deemed to
be masterpieces of Byzantine art. Seven of the eight date from the
15th and early 16th century, when Stephen the Great of Moldovia,
and his son and successor, Petru Rares, reigned. The monastery at
Sucevita was built later, in 1582, but in the same tradition.
It is said that covering
the walls with biblical scenes was an attempt to educate illiterate
peasant-soldiers that were assembling within the monasteries'
defensive walls while waiting to fight Turkish invaders, who
battled over the region in the latter part of the Middle Ages. The
paintings may also have been a way of securing their loyalty.
At Humor, most of the
murals are in incredibly good condition, considering their long
exposure to the elements. There are more within, and vivid frescos
depicting saints and sinners cover every available surface.
If Humor is the "red"
monastery, the Church of St George, of the former Voronet
monastery, where a small community of nuns now lives, is the
"blue". To reach it, I drive through the logging town of Gura
Humorului, four miles south of the town.
The blue of Voronet, now
known as "Voronet blue", is intense, and is a result of using lapis
lazuli as a pigment. It is evident in The Last Judgement,
which takes up the entire western wall of St George's, and depicts
Christ sitting in judge- ment above a river of fire, while turbaned
Tartars and Turks await their fate.
Voronet, whose frescos
depict Old and New Testament themes, local legends, and the lives
of saints, was the first of the monasteries built by Stephen the
Great (1433-1504) in thanksgiving for his victories against the
Turks. There are 46 in total.
To reach the Church of
the Annunciation, of the Moldovita monastery, north-west of Gura
Humorului, requires a 25-mile drive through countryside. This
timeless corner of Europe remains largely unmechanised, and I pass
horse-drawn carts piled high with freshly harvested corn-straw
along the way.
Moldovita was refounded
by Rares in 1532, and here, rather than red or blue, the
predominant colour is yellow. As at Humor, there is a splendid
mural, The Siege of Constantinople, on the
southern wall, but I am saddened to see that there is graffiti, too
- mostly German, Polish, and Russian names, carved with lapidary
precision.
Moldovita has a higher
number of scenes and personages than any of the other churches.
Here, it is also possible to see manuscripts and icons, as well as
Rares's original throne in its small museum.
Sucevita, the last
monastery on my tour, involves a switchback drive over a 1100-metre
pass in the Carpathian mountains. Once within its heavily fortified
compound, I am immediately directed towards the Church of the
Ressurection, in the centre, and towards its finest fresco, The
Ladder of Virtue, which depicts the journey between heaven and
hell as a perilous climb up the rungs of a ladder.
The south wall has a
charming painting, The Tree of Jesse; but I am surprised
to find the western wall devoid of any decoration. My guide offers
an explanation: folklore has it that the artist fell from his
scaffolding and died, and no one else was brave enough to continue
the job.
Review: George Bell
House, Chichester
AS SOON as you step into
Canon Lane - approached by turning off one of the four main
shopping streets in Chichester that meet, literally, at a monument
called "The Cross" - you feel instantly that it is possible to
leave the hec- tic pace of life behind, just for a while.
At the end of the cloistered
close is George Bell House, the only Enjoy England five-star-rated
accommodation in Chichester. It is primarily a retreat and study
house, but, on vacant days, B&B guests can stay in one of its
eight well-appointed ensuites (three double, four twin, one
wheelchair-accessible single).
The house belonged to Bell,
Bishop of Chichester from 1929-1958, after he retired. In 2008, it
was refurbished and opened to B&B guests, to subsidise retreat
and study breaks here, and support the cathedral's running
costs.
After arriving in the
entrance hall, complete with Hans Feibusch paintings, Delft-tiled
fireplace, elegant staircase, and galleried landing, I am led to
the "Bamburg" room. William Morris curtains; super-king-size bed
flatscreen TV; and tea-, coffee-, and hot-chocolate-making
facilities (with Scottish shortcake biscuits) greet me. Not so
five-star is a naff flower print, and shelves with granny-like
knick-knacks, but all can be forgiven for the glorious view of the
cathedral.
George Bell House offers two
conference rooms, a garden room, and an oratory for individual
prayer. It has no guest lounge, but perhaps it is not needed:
outside the cathedral environs are shops, bars, and restaurants
galore, Chichester Festival Theatre, and Pallant House Gallery -
which hosts an important collection of 20th-century British art and
the wonderful restaurant Field & Fork.
I explore the Bishop's
Palace Gardens, and book a guided tour of the cathedral, renowned
for its artworks and the tomb that in- spired Philip Larkin's "An
Arundel Tomb".
Guests, £70-120 prpn,
breakfast from £6.50 pp extra (my only criticism is that this is
not in- cluded in the price); retreat guests: £56.50 full board per
24 hours (minimum booking of three rooms).
With tranquillity on offer,
plus five-star comforts (not forgetting culture and shopping,
should you not come to hide away with God), George Bell
House is proving a hit.
Contact: Phone 01243 813 586
or visit www.chichestercathedral.org.uk/visiting/_folder1/
Christine Miles
TRAVEL
FACTS
TAROM, the Romanian national
carrier, has daily flights to Suceava from London, via Bucharest,
for about £300 return. Hotels, restaurants, and car rental can all
be found in Suceava. Villa Alice, in Suceava, has rooms from £33,
and the Continental has doubles from £25. In Guru Humorului,
Hilde's Residence has doubles from £36, while Best Western Bucovina
Club de Munte has doubles for £55.
www.RomaniaTourism.com/Suceava.html
www.tarom.co
www.cfrcalatori.ro