Wanderings: March 2026

March 20, 2026

Former Jewish Synagogue, Campulung Moldovenesc

Moldavita Monastery Grounds

View from the north, where the frescoes have been damaged by winter storms

Detail, Siege of Constatinople, exterior south wall

The wise men/magi visit baby jesus

An angel warns the magi return by a different route to avoid Herod

Jesus and his family flee to Egypt. You can feel movement in the painting

Pasul Ciumârna, between Moldavita & Sucevita on a late winter's day

Sucevita Monastery Grounds

South wall, Sucevita

Jesus Crucified. The bent portrayal was different than I was used to, but probably more consistent with a crucifixion.

Down from the cross

Judas receives thirty pieces of silver for betraying Jesus

Entombed

Ruşita the cat

Humor Monastery grounds

Red is the predominant color at Humor

March 18 to 19, 2026

Sighisoara is in central Romania, but is closer to the edge of Transylvania (1). The historic Hungarian rulers of the region invited Saxon Germans to the area for defense. These Saxons soon became the merchant class, and established a number of Saxon cities, including Sighisoara (2).

The citadel atop a modest hill contains the charming old town. Each of the guilds built a defensive tower, often trying to outdo each other in size and style. Of the original 19 Towers, 14 remain. We dined at the birth place (in 1453) of Vlad Ţepeş, Count Dracul (3). A nice walk after dark lead along the city walls.

Next morning, we climbed the clock tower, which also contains a museum. One of the docents seemed please to chat about the town's history and the exhibits (4). The town seems to have a simple naming convention. The towers are named after the guilds which bult them, the house with the antlers is called Casa cu Cerb (Antler house), the church on the hill is Biserica din Deal (Church on the Hill).

Many of the frescoes in the Chuch on the Hill (completed in 1488) have faded, but St. George slaying the dragon is still quite clear (5). The crypt contains an actual bone-filled coffin that is illuminated ftom inside the vault in a rather macabre manner. Rising from the crypt, I heard someone singing. The guide/sextant had encouraged a young woman to sing on the altar to test the acoustics.

The final stop was at the Monastery Church, originally associated with a Dominican Monastery. Now a Lutheran Church, the woman who sold us a ticket asked if we wanted to reafmd about the church or "hear my words." Preferring the latter, she gave a detailed history of the church and quizzed us on which guilds the various crests represented.

Driving Northeast, we passed towns with generally three churches for each of the three communities: Orthodox (Romanian), Cathlolic (Hingarian), and Lutheran (Saxon). The architectural style usually made clear which was which. Horse carts and stork nests were prevalent. Reaching the Carpathians at dusk, we did not dally, with clouds and light snow in the pass marking the border between Transylvania and Moldavia.

(1) The name means "beyond the woods." The area was beyond the thickly wooded Carpathians when viewed from Rome.

(2) Reflecting the multiethnic compostion of the area, the town has different names: Sighisoara (Romanian), Schassburg (German), and Segesvár (Hungarian). Historically, the Hungarians were the land-owning class, Germans the merchant class, and Romanians the agricultural workers. When the Romanian state was founded in the mid-1800s, it consisted of Wallachia (south of the Carpathians) and Moldavia (east of the Carpathians). Queen Marie of Romania attended the post-World War I Versaille conference, convincing the delegates to transfer Transylvania from the remnants of the Austro-Hunagarian empire to Romania. The area retains a large Hungarian-speaking population.

(3) The name means "son of the dragon," a noble title at the time. He fought against the Turks, earning the name Ţepeş, (meaning impaler) for the treatment of his enemies. Bram Stoker used the name for his fictional vampire in the kate 1800s The town takes full advantage of the connection, including a kitchy exhibit in the birthroom complete with howling wolves and red-lighted coffins.

(4) She had a perspective on contemporary American politics: "Liberty is important, we all need to speak out." Interesting thought from someone who grew up under communism.

(5) While I usually prefer my camera to c a pure the colors as close to reality as possible, my phone camera grestly enhanced the visinilty of the frescoes

A walk after dark:

Clock tower

The Butchers Tower

Covered staircase up to the school

The Bootmakers Tower

Casa cu Cerb (Antler House) in the morning

At the clock tower/museum:

Elaborately-carved door

Clavichord

Sfantul Ioromi (St. Jerome) Painting

City Crest

Clock mechanism

Days of week figurines. Being a Thursday, the God of Thunder (Thor) is visible from the exterior. Yesterday was Mercury, while tomorrow is Venus. Like the French Mercredi and Vendredi, the words for Wednesday and Ftiday in Romania are based on Mercury and Venus.