Saint John the New Monastery ( ro, Mănăstirea Sfântul Ioan cel Nou) is a Romanian Orthodox monastery in Suceava,

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

. Built between 1514 and 1522, the monastery church is one of eight buildings that make up the

churches of Moldavia The north of the Moldavia region in Romania preserves numerous religious buildings as a testimony of the Moldavian architectural style developed in the Principality of Moldavia starting from the 14th century. Of these, eight Romanian Orthodox C ...

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

, and is also listed as a historic monument by the country's Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs.Lista Monumentelor Istorice 2010: Judeţul Suceava
p.2159 Its construction began during the reign of voivode Bogdan III the One-Eyed of

Moldavia Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and former principality in Centr ...

, after the nearby Mirăuți Church (the metropolitan cathedral of Moldavia at that moment) was devastated in 1513. The construction was completed by

Stephen IV of Moldavia Stephen IV of Moldavia ( ro, Ștefan IV), also called Ștefăniță (1506 – 14 January 1527) was Prince of Moldavia from 1517 to 1527. He succeeded to the throne as son of the previous ruler, Bogdan III cel Chior. Until 1523, he was under the ...

(also known as Ștefăniță). The monastery church served as metropolitan cathedral of Moldavia until 1677 and, since 1991, it serves as the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Suceava and Rădăuți. The church is dedicated to

Saint George Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...

and it has frescoes painted on the outside, typical of the region. The monastery is dedicated to Saint

John the New of Suceava John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

, a Moldavian monk who preached during Turkish occupation and was subsequently martyred in Cetatea Albă, present-day

Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi ( uk, Бі́лгород-Дністро́вський, Bílhorod-Dnistróvskyy, ; ro, Cetatea Albă), historically known as Akkerman ( tr, Akkerman) or under different names, is a city, municipality and port situated on ...

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

. Alexander I of Moldavia brought his relics to Suceava in 1402. Besides the monumental church, the monastery complex includes a bell tower built in 1589 during the reign of Peter the Lame of

, a chapel founded by clergyman

Anastasie Crimca Anastasie Crimca (; c. 1550–1629) was a Moldavian Eastern orthodox clergyman, as well as a calligrapher, illuminator, and writer. Born in Suceava, he was the Metropolitan of Moldavia (1608–1617; 1619–1629) and the founder of Dragomirna Mon ...

in 1626-1629, old cells for monks (built in the 19th century), a house for the abbot (built between 1894-1896) and the surrounding walls.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint John the New Monastery Churches completed in 1522 16th-century Eastern Orthodox church buildings Buildings and structures in Suceava County Buildings and structures in Suceava Churches of Moldavia Romanian Orthodox cathedrals in Romania 1522 establishments in the Ottoman Empire

See also

References