# Voroneț Monastery

[Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Bukovina](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/bucovina) › [Suceava County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/suceava) › [Voroneț](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/locality/voronet)

> The church founded by Stephen the Great in 1488, painted on the outside with the Last Judgment on a background of "Voroneț blue"; a UNESCO site near Gura Humorului.

[UNESCO World Heritage](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/unesco-heritage) · [Top 20 in Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/top-20)

**At a glance:** Monasteries and churches in Voroneț, Suceava County. Opening hours: daily 09:00 – 17:00. Ticket: 10 lei. The visit takes ½ – 1 hours. Information verified on 23 September 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** daily 09:00 – 17:00 — Core hours, daily; in summer they are usually extended into the evening, but the official website does not publish the times, so call ahead. The Divine Liturgy is held daily from 07:30 (Sundays and feast days from 08:30), and during services there are no guided tours and the interior cannot be visited.
- **Ticket:** 10 lei — 5 lei children, pupils, students
- **Visit duration:** ½ – 1 hours — with a guide, up to 1½ hours
- **With kids:** Yes — modest dress and quiet
- **Parking:** Yes, free — at the gate, few spaces
- **Best season:** All year round — west facade in afternoon light
- **Address:** Strada Voroneț 166 (DJ 177), 4 km south of the centre of Gura Humorului, Voroneț, Suceava County
- **Coordinates:** 47.5172, 25.8642
- **Phone:** +40 746 405 758
- **Website:** https://www.manastireavoronet.ro/
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vorone%C8%9B_Monastery
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q384463
- **Categories:** [Monasteries and churches](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/manastiri-si-biserici), [Monuments and historic sites](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/monumente-si-situri-istorice)

## About Voroneț Monastery

Voroneț Monastery is the best known of Bukovina's painted churches and one of Romania's defining images. The church of St George was built by Stephen the Great in 1488, in just three months and three weeks, on the spot where the hermit Daniil lived, the confessor who, according to the chronicler Neculce, urged the prince not to submit Moldavia to the Turks and to build a monastery here after his victory. Daniil the Hermit is buried in the narthex and painted as a saint on the south facade.

The interior was painted in 1496, and in 1547 Metropolitan Grigorie Roșca, counted as the third founder, added the closed porch and had all the outer walls painted. Since then the church has looked like an open book: hundreds of scenes and saints on an intense blue background that has never been reproduced anywhere else, and which specialists simply call "Voroneț blue". For its frescoes, Voroneț was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1993, together with other painted churches of northern Moldavia.

After Austria annexed Bukovina, the monastery was dissolved in 1785 and for two centuries the church was merely a village church. Monastic life returned in 1991 with a community of nuns, who look after the church today and guide visitors.

### What you can see

The west wall, which has no windows, is entirely covered by the Last Judgment, in five registers: God the Father at the top, then Christ as judge, and below them the river of fire flowing to hell, the weighing of souls, paradise with the righteous, the resurrection of the dead and the animals giving back the bodies they had swallowed. Among the damned are Turks and Tatars, Moldavia's enemies of the day, and the angels blow the bucium, the long horn of the mountain shepherds. It is the largest scene of its kind in Romanian painting.

On the south facade are the Tree of Jesse, Christ's genealogy on a blue ground, and the Akathist of the Mother of God; in the porch, the Orthodox calendar with a saint for every day of the year. The north facade, beaten by wind and rain, is largely worn away. Inside, the votive painting shows Stephen the Great with his family offering the church to St George; the tomb of St Daniil is in the narthex. In the grounds are the bell tower, the enclosure wall and the nuns' stone cells.

### Good to know

The exterior painting was last restored between 1979 and 1988 and, with no new restoration since, has damaged areas, especially on the north side; in early 2026 the monastery was still waiting for funding for the roof and for conservation work. It is a working monastery: enter with shoulders and knees covered, keep quiet, and note that during services there are no guided tours and no photography.

## Don't miss

- The Last Judgment on the west wall, with the river of fire, the weighing of souls and the angels blowing the bucium horn.
- Voroneț blue on the south facade, in the Tree of Jesse, at the hour when the sun lights it up.
- The Orthodox calendar in the porch, with a saint painted for every day of the year.
- The tomb of St Daniil the Hermit in the narthex and his portrait as a saint on the south facade.
- The votive painting in the nave, with Stephen the Great and his family offering the church to St George.

## Good to know before you go

### Getting there

**By car:** from Suceava take the DN17 (E58) to Gura Humorului (~36 km, ~40 minutes), then turn left onto the DJ 177 heading south for another 4 km to the village of Voroneț; the monastery is at the end of the road, signposted. From Cluj-Napoca it is ~290 km on the DN17 via Bistrița and Vatra Dornei (~5 hours), from Iași ~180 km (~3 hours). It combines easily with Humor Monastery (10 km away), Moldovița and Sucevița.

**Public transport:** train to Gura Humorului Oraș station (Suceava – Vatra Dornei line), then a taxi (~5 km) or an hour's walk along the paved road. Frequent minibuses run from Suceava bus station to Gura Humorului; there are few local services to the village.

### Where to park

In front of the monastery gate there is a free car park with few spaces; on summer weekends and holiday breaks it fills up quickly and people park along the road, among the stalls. Come in the morning or after 16:00.

### Fees & discounts

Entry ticket: adults 10 lei; children, pupils and students 5 lei. Photography and filming outside (non-professional) cost an extra 10 lei; inside the church they are forbidden. Guided tours, given by the nuns, are free and requested at the entrance (30–60 minutes), no booking needed. On major feast days entry is free.

### Rules

Modest dress: shoulders and knees covered; skirts and shawls can be borrowed at the gate. Keep quiet, no food, drink or smoking within the walls, and phones switched off during services. Photos and video only outside, once the fee is paid; no photography at all inside the church. Visit only the marked areas and do not touch the frescoes. Dogs are not allowed inside the walls.

### Facilities

Toilets within the walls · free guided tours · stalls with icons, pottery and souvenirs at the gate · guesthouses and restaurants in the village and in Gura Humorului · the courtyard is level, the church has steps at the entrance and no ramp · good mobile signal

## Details

- **Construction period:** 1488
- **Founder:** Stephen the Great
- **Dedication:** St George
- **Denomination:** Orthodox
- **Architectural style:** Moldavian

## Frequently asked questions about Voroneț Monastery

**How much is a ticket to Voroneț Monastery?**

A ticket to Voroneț Monastery costs 10 lei (5 lei children, pupils, students). Entry ticket: adults 10 lei; children, pupils and students 5 lei. Photography and filming outside (non-professional) cost an extra 10 lei; inside the church they are forbidden. Guided tours, given by the nuns, are free and requested at the entrance (30–60 minutes), no booking needed. On major feast days entry is free.

**What are the opening hours of Voroneț Monastery?**

Opening hours at Voroneț Monastery: daily 09:00 – 17:00. Core hours, daily; in summer they are usually extended into the evening, but the official website does not publish the times, so call ahead. The Divine Liturgy is held daily from 07:30 (Sundays and feast days from 08:30), and during services there are no guided tours and the interior cannot be visited.

**How long does a visit to Voroneț Monastery take?**

A visit to Voroneț Monastery takes about ½ – 1 hours (with a guide, up to 1½ hours).

**Can you visit Voroneț Monastery with kids?**

Yes, Voroneț Monastery is suitable for children (modest dress and quiet).

**Where can I park at Voroneț Monastery?**

There is free parking at Voroneț Monastery (at the gate, few spaces). In front of the monastery gate there is a free car park with few spaces; on summer weekends and holiday breaks it fills up quickly and people park along the road, among the stalls. Come in the morning or after 16:00.

**How do I get to Voroneț Monastery?**

Voroneț Monastery is located at Strada Voroneț 166 (DJ 177), 4 km south of the centre of Gura Humorului, Voroneț, Suceava County. By car: from Suceava take the DN17 (E58) to Gura Humorului (~36 km, ~40 minutes), then turn left onto the DJ 177 heading south for another 4 km to the village of Voroneț; the monastery is at the end of the road, signposted. From Cluj-Napoca it is ~290 km on the DN17 via Bistrița and Vatra Dornei (~5 hours), from Iași ~180 km (~3 hours). It combines easily with Humor Monastery (10 km away), Moldovița and Sucevița. Public transport: train to Gura Humorului Oraș station (Suceava – Vatra Dornei line), then a taxi (~5 km) or an hour's walk along the paved road. Frequent minibuses run from Suceava bus station to Gura Humorului; there are few local services to the village.

**When is the best time to visit Voroneț Monastery?**

The best season for Voroneț Monastery: All year round (west facade in afternoon light).

## Nearby attractions

- [Humor Monastery](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/manastirea-humor) — Monasteries and churches · Mănăstirea Humorului, SV · ½ – 1 hours · UNESCO World Heritage · 11 km
  The church built in 1530 by chancellor Toader Bubuiog under Petru Rareș, painted outside in shades of red, with an open porch and Vasile Lupu's tower; a UNESCO site.
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- [Arbore Church](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/biserica-arbore) — Monasteries and churches · Arbore, SV · 45 min · UNESCO World Heritage · 32 km
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- [Moldovița Monastery](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/manastirea-moldovita) — Monasteries and churches · Vatra Moldoviței, SV · 1 – 1½ hours · UNESCO World Heritage · 35 km
  Founded by Petru Rareș in 1532, with a church painted on the outside in shades of yellow and blue and the famous Siege of Constantinople fresco; a UNESCO site in Bukovina.
- [Ciumârna Pass](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/pasul-ciumarna) — Scenic roads · Suceava County · Free · ½ – 1 hours · 40 km
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Last updated: 23 September 2026
Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania