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Probota the splendid one

In a region formerly covered with drills, or celebrates it "Field of Justice was", there or Etienne the large one was crowned prince, between the valleys and two brooks, Semuz and Probota, were high before 1398 the first monastery of Moldavia whose name in the documents of the time was Probrata or Probota.

Founded by Etienne first on an unstable and entirely rebuilt ground during the reign of Etienne the Large one, it remains today only some ruins of the "Probota Hurdy-gurdy" or the "Nicolas Saint of the Clearing", one of most famous and imposing the monastery of the time.

It is with 200m of these ruins that Pierre Rares, adviser by Grigorie Rosca, the superior of the monastery and future Métropolite of Moldavia, built in a 1530 necropolis princely of imposing size, painted outside in 1532. The first monastery with fresco external of Moldavia.

The interior architecture and external resembles that of the monasteries of Bucovine which emphasizes Rumanian medieval art and Moldavian style of the time of Rare Etienne the Large one and Pierre.

Painting with fresco is due to a Master of which the solids knowledge of geometrical prospect resemble those of its contemporaries of the countries Western rebirth.

The interior of the monastery draws the attention of the specialists and impresses by an exceptional artistic realization.

The sometimes strange compositions, treat in a very original way canonical topics in a unit and coherent iconographic program of a great aesthetic and spiritual value, with many character and of the images symbolic systems. (Exp. the scene of northern crucifixion conch of naos).

Recent work of restoration confirmed extraordinary quality original interior painting, without equal in Romania.

A very detailed attention must be given to the votive table of western wall of the naos. Have sees Prince Pierre Rares there who it model of the church in hand, the offer with Jesus Christ leaves the intermediary Saint Nicolas the owner.

Behind him are Ilias, the crown prince (the face blackened afterwards are passage to Islam), Etienne and his Helene wife with her two small children Constantin and Ruxandra.

The archaeological research made in the whole of the monastery allowed to recover some parts of very important clothing and ornament.

Among these parts it has a hat with metal wire, specific to XVe century and known only iconographic representations, ornaments of head of which most important is a hairpin, discovered in tomb of Vasilica, the sister of Simion Stroici.

Of the same importance documentary and artistic is the ring with seal lost by one as of those who had devastated the tomb of the large treasurer Simion Stroici.

But the collection of the museum still has other objects of great value, books of worship, clothing and icons.

Compared to interior painting, the external fresco was partially destroyed and have will be able to never return to him are former glare.

At the same time it is impossible to reconstitute the program completely iconographic of the external fresco.

However there are not badly easy subjects and iconographic cycles with to identify.

Moreover, the scenes of the outside of the monastery of Probota are found in various alternatives, on the frescos of Moldovita and of Humor.

The monastery of Probota has also an impressive collection of tomb stone with the carved epitaphs of a remarkable documentary value and artistic.

Probota was at the same time important arts centre or were informed famous scholars of the time: Dosoftei, Grigorie Rosca, and Gheorghe Movila.

With its architecture, its painting and its surroundings to charge of history, it monastery of Probota remains a place of prayer and meditation.

* Owner of the church: Saint Nicolas (December 6) * Devoted in 1530 * common of Dolhasca, village of Probota, department of Suceava * to 51 km of Suceava.

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