Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans
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The Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans in
Chernivtsi Chernivtsi ( uk, Чернівці́}, ; ro, Cernăuți, ; see also other names) is a city in the historical region of Bukovina, which is now divided along the borders of Romania and Ukraine, including this city, which is situated on the upp ...
,
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 ...
was built for the
Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism. Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or "canonical") ...
metropolitan bishop In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan (alternative obsolete form: metropolite), pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis. Originally, the term referred to the b ...
between 1864 and 1882 to the designs of the Czech architect
Josef Hlávka Josef Hlávka (15 February 183111 March 1908) was a Czech architect, builder, philanthropist and founder of the oldest Czech foundation for sciences and arts. Biography He was the second-born son of Mayor Antonín Hlávka and his wife, Anna née ...
from
Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
. The Residence, whose buildings are now part of
Chernivtsi University Chernivtsi National University (full name Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University, uk, Чернівецький національний університет імені Юрія Федьковича) is a public university in the City o ...
, was declared a
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 ...
in 2011.


Construction

In 1782, following the incorporation of
Bukovina Bukovinagerman: Bukowina or ; hu, Bukovina; pl, Bukowina; ro, Bucovina; uk, Буковина, ; see also other languages. is a historical region, variously described as part of either Central or Eastern Europe (or both).Klaus Peter BergerT ...
into the
Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...
, the seat of the Moldavian Eastern Orthodox Bishops of
Rădăuți Rădăuți (; german: Radautz; hu, Radóc; pl, Radowce; uk, Радівці, ''Radivtsi''; yi, ראַדעװיץ ''Radevits''; tr, Radoviçe) is a town in Suceava County, north-eastern Romania. It is situated in the historical region of Bukovi ...
was moved to Chernivtsi (then known as Czernowitz). The province's military administration built a residence in haste for bishop . The edifice, completed in 1783, bore a shabby aspect, divided as it was into small, low rooms, with a little chapel that had a brick floor. Due to fungal growth caused by humidity, part of the building collapsed in 1790 and the rest was demolished. Thus, Herescu and his successors
Daniil Vlahovici Daniil (russian: Даниил) is a Russian masculine given name; equivalent to that of the English given name Daniel. Notable examples People named Daniil include: Arts and literature * Daniil Andreyev (1906–1959), Russian writer, poet, and C ...
, Isaia Baloșescu and, for a time, Eugenie Hacman, were obliged to move around rented rooms. In 1851–1852, Hacman sent a series of reports to the administration in
Lviv Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukraine ...
, complaining that this situation was undignified. In 1860, the Religious Affairs Ministry issued a decree announcing a contest to select an architect for a new episcopal residence. The Czech architect Josef Hlávka was selected to develop the project. In preparing his designs, Hlávka researched the building traditions of the region, and published an article, "Buildings of the Eastern Greek Church in Bukovina", in the ''Austrian Review'' in 1866. Hlávka's proposals for the complex included not only the bishop's palace but also administrative offices, meeting halls, a library, a choir school, a museum of church art and a chapel. The resulting work combines
Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
and
Moorish The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or se ...
style, with the
Alhambra The Alhambra (, ; ar, الْحَمْرَاء, Al-Ḥamrāʾ, , ) is a palace and fortress complex located in Granada, Andalusia, Spain. It is one of the most famous monuments of Islamic architecture and one of the best-preserved palaces of the ...
as one inspiration. Construction commenced in 1864 but was subjected to substantial delays due to technical problems, the illness of Hlávka from 1872 onwards, and to disagreements between Hlávka and the local administration, which led to Hlávka's resignation. The incompetence of Hlávka's successor, Feliks Ksiezarski, further delayed progress. The building and churches were consecrated in the winter of 1882/3.


Significance

The UNESCO citation, declaring the Residence and the buildings in its complex as of "outstanding universal value", describes the site as follows:
The architectural ensemble comprises the former Residence of the Metropolitans with its St. Ioan cel Nou of Suceava Chapel; the former
seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...
and Seminary Church, and the former
monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...
with its clock tower within a garden and landscaped park. The Residence, with a dramatic fusion of architectural references, expresses the 19th century cultural identity of the Orthodox Church within the Austro-Hungarian Empire during a period of religious and cultural toleration. In the 19th century, historicist architecture could convey messages about its purpose and the Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans is an excellent example.


Features

The buildings of the complex are laid out on three sides of a courtyard which is approximately 100 metres deep and 70 metres wide: the fourth side of this yard contains the main gates, set in tall railings. Opposite the gate is the largest single building, the residence of the Metropolitan, which also contains the Chapel of
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 ...
. The building presently houses the University's Faculty of Modern Languages. It contains the
Synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''wikt:synod, synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin ...
al Hall (today called the Marble Hall), with a painted ceiling. Originally this hall contained portraits of Austrian monarchs by
Epaminonda Bucevschi Epaminonda Bucevschi (March 3, 1843February 13, 1891) was an ethnic Romanian painter from the Duchy of Bukovina in Austria-Hungary. Born in Iacobeni, north of Vatra Dornei, he studied at the theological seminary in Cernăuți from 1863 to 1867; th ...
(1843–1891). Other major rooms in this building include the former library of the Metropolitan (the Blue Hall), a smaller meeting space (the Red Hall) and the former reception room of the Metropolitan (the Green Hall). The UNESCO report on the site describes the Red Hall as "an extraordinary beautiful wooden jewel box, whose wall painting resembles a sophisticated trimming with red Chinese silk." To the left of the gate is the seminary building (the right wing of the ensemble) and its church, the Church of the
Three Holy Hierarchs The Three Hierarchs ( grc, Οἱ Τρεῖς Ἱεράρχαι; ell, Οι Τρεις Ιεράρχες) of Eastern Christianity refers to Basil the Great (also known as Basil of Caesarea), Gregory the Theologian (also known as Gregory of Nazianzu ...
, which contains
mural A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spani ...
s by Karl Jobst and other artists. On the other side of the courtyard (the left wing of the ensemble), the former monastery building is today the geography department of the university. The clock tower of this building is decorated with
Stars of David The Star of David (). is a generally recognized symbol of both Jewish identity and Judaism. Its shape is that of a hexagram: the compound of two equilateral triangles. A derivation of the ''seal of Solomon'', which was used for decorative ...
as a tribute to the
Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
community of Czernowitz which contributed to the construction of the complex. The whole ensemble is set in an extensive landscaped park, which contains a monument to Hlávka sculpted in 1937. image:Cernauti Residentia 06.jpg, Metropolitans wing image:Корпус митрополита, Чернівці 11.JPG, Metropolitans wing image:Мармурова зала резиденції буковинських митрополитів.jpg, Marble Hall (Metropolitans wing) image:Корпус митрополита,Чернівці 22.JPG, Red Hall (Metropolitans wing) image:Cernauti Residentia 04.jpg, Seminary wing image:Семiнарський корпус, Чернівці 07.JPG, Seminary wing image:Чернівецький національний університет імені Юрія Федьковича 01.jpg, Seminary church image:Семінарська церква140518 3101.jpg, Seminary church image:Cernauti Residentia 03.jpg, Monastery wing image:Chernivtsi University 2003 03.jpg, Monastery auditorium image:Резиденція буковинських митрополитів. Брама (Чернівці).jpg, Residence gate image:Cernauti Residentia 05.jpg, Hlávka monument


History

The buildings originally hosted a substantial
theological Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
faculty which continued to function as such when Czernowitz became, after the end of
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, part of
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 ...
under the name of ''Cernăuți''. It was in the Synodal Hall that on 28 November 1918, Bukovina's union with Romania was ratified. The buildings were looted and considerably damaged by fire during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. After the war, when the region came under
Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
control, the theological faculty was closed down; when the buildings began to be restored in 1955, they were transferred to the town's university. In the intervening period, the buildings had been used for storage and many of the murals had been painted over. Internal redecoration, restoring some of the original features, was carried out from 1957 to 1967, when the ensemble was granted government protection. In 1991 the building was listed on the State Register of the newly independent Ukraine. Extensive restoration was carried out from 2004 onwards, resulting eventually in the ensemble being inscribed by
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
in its list of World Heritage Sites on 28 June 2011. The Residence was chosen in competition, including an Internet vote, as one of the Seven Architectural Wonders of Ukraine in 2011.Seven Wonders of Ukraine website
(in Ukrainian), accessed 20 May 2013.


References

;Sources *Chuchko, Mihaylo (2012) tr. Inna Rumiga and Tetyana Vintoniuk. ''Резиденція Православних Митрополитів Буковини і Далмації - The Residence of the Orthodox Metropolitans of Bukovina and Dalmatia'' (in Ukrainian and English). Chernivtsy: Nashi Knigi. *Hlazoviy, Andriy (ed.) (2008). ''A tour of Chernivtsi and Bukovyna''. Kyiv: Baltia-Druk. * Luceac, Ilie
"Două monumente de cult construite de arhitectul ceh Josef Hlavka la Cernăuți"
in ''Monumentul'', Vol. II, Ed. X/2008, p. 79-86 *UNESCO (2011).
Evaluation Report
by ICOMOS on Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans'', accessed 19 May 2013.


Notes


External links


Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans
on the UNESCO website, accessed 14 May 2013 {{coord, 48, 17, 49, N, 25, 55, 28, E, region:UA_source:kolossus-jawiki, display=title Josef Hlávka buildings World Heritage Sites in Ukraine Buildings and structures in Chernivtsi Chernivtsi University Tourist attractions in Chernivtsi Historic sites in Chernivtsi