Historical and ethnographic heritage – part of the sustainable
development of tourism in Bukovina
HERITAGE
MIS-ETC Code: 829

Object

Images

”Saint Gheorghe” Wooden Church

Data

GPS (47.456977844238; 26.279905319214)
district Suceava
region Fălticeni
locality Fălticeni
address
category Religious attractions
year 1700-1706
ethnic Romanians

Description

The beginnings of the existence of a wooden church go back to 1424, when the oldest document, from February 16, shows that the prince Alexander the Good makes a gift to Popa Iuga from the village of Buciumeni, for serving him faithfully. Until the XVIIIth century, there are no records on the church. The Moldavian Medieval Monuments Bibliographic Repertory (1974) mentions the fact that the wooden church of Buciumeni (1700-1706) underwent restoration works in 1824. The church’s inscription shows that this historical monument, with the patronal fest day on St. Gerorge, was made of wood in 1765 by the Protopope Andrew, being restored by the local peasants in 1884, after being painted and its windows enlarged, in 1882, like it looks today. Due to deterioration, the church was closed from 1912 until 1930, when, following some repairs and embellishments it was sanctified by a synod of priests and the deacon of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary Cathedral. In 1994, as a result of the decision of the Romanian Patriarchy, the Buciumeni Hermitage for nuns came into existence. The land necessary for the construction of the cells building and the future stone church was bought with the father Counsellor Gheorghe Brădățanu's own money and thus, one can say, that he is the main founder of the hermitage. The church is made of wood, on a concrete foundation, rectangular in shape, and coated with boards. The sanctuary is lighted by a window on the east side. The nave is lighted by two windows both on the south and the north walls. It has no narthex. The closed porch has one window to the south and one to the north. All the windows are double, rectangular, with metallic bars between them. The iconostasis is made of carved wood. On the porch, there is a square ”blind” tower, covered with shingles, like the church. The entry doors in the porch and the nave are simple, made of wood, in a single wing. Four painted icons are on the wall. The painting is replaces by icons hanging on the walls. To the north of the church there is a small building, which houses two cells and a hut, and to the south-east there is also a small building for cells and a hut with the kitchen, refectory and the cells. The cemetery of the village is near the church, to the west and south. Starting with September 1, 1998, Buciumeni hermitage operates as monastery.