Studiu pentru un proiect de restaurare. Biserica Sf. Ilie - Suceava
A research for a restoration project. St. Ilie church - Suceava

Summary/Abstract: The church St. Elias in Suceava is a foundation of the prince Stephen the Great /Stefan cel Mare from 1488. It was painted around 1490, the inside paintings respecting the iconographic programme typical for the mural ensembles from the reign of this ruler. There are some peculiarities of the paintings of the nave: on the northern wall, The Virgin in the Deisis has a royal crown on her chef, the whole composition being named ”The Quin is standing on Yours right side”. The Votive picture occupies the southern part of the west wall and the contiguous of the southern. Composition is typical for the group of the founders during the reign of Stephen the Great. He offers the model of the church to Christ by the intercession of St. Elias, its patron. The prince is followed by Alexander, his elder son, nominated heir of the throne, died in July 1496. On a visible new preparation is painted Bogdan-Vlad, Stephan’s younger son Bogdan-Vlad, and after him, Princess Maria Voichița, his mother. The repainting of the surface with the figure of Bogdan is explained by his new political position, after 1496, when he was nominated heir of the Moldavian throne. On the original layer Bogdan was only a child. The theme dominating the narthex is the illustration of the Vita of Saint Elias, patron of the church, as usually in Stephan’s s time. On the south façade, damaged, metropolitan bishop of Moldavia, Varlaam (1632 – 1653) is represented at the lower part of the Ladder of St. John Climacus, and a written inscription gives his name: ”Varlaam Bishop Metropolitan of Suceava”. The restoration of the paintings is in progress now.

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