Church of the Annunciation of the Monaster and Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metr
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
339 km
Riding-time estimate
6 h 54
Journey
Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
From Moldoviţa it runs 339 km to Moldoviţa; allow about 6 h 54 of riding. It goes by way of Church of the Assumption of the Virgin of, Church of the Holy Rood of Patrauti, Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metr and back through Church of the Holy Rood of Patrauti. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 850 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available. It crosses from Romania into Ukraine - carry ID and check vignette or toll rules. The line favours views over speed.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Church of the Annunciation of the Monaster
Moldovița is the monastery that makes people go quiet in the courtyard. It sits in a green pocket of the Bukovina hills, ringed by a stout defensive wall with corner towers, and inside it the Church of the Annunciation is painted from the ground to the eaves with saints, prophets and battle scenes in blues, reds and ochres that have survived some five centuries of Carpathian weather. It was founded in the time of Petru Rareș, in the 1530s, and it belongs to the famous group of painted churches of northern Moldavia that UNESCO lists together.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Church of the Annunciation of the Monaster is where the day begins. Next is Church of the Assumption of the Virgin of.
2. Church of the Assumption of the Virgin of
The painted monasteries of Bukovina are among the most extraordinary buildings in Europe, and the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin at Humor, just outside Gura Humorului in north-eastern Romania, is one of the finest. Built in 1530 and painted inside and out a few years later, it belongs to the group of churches that were inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1993. The outer walls are covered with frescoes in rich shades of red and brown, telling biblical stories and lives of saints to people who could not read.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Church of the Assumption of the Virgin of comes up about 40 km into the recorded legs. Next is Church of the Holy Rood of Patrauti.
3. Church of the Holy Rood of Patrauti
In 1487 Stephen the Great of Moldavia had a small church built at Pătrăuți, dedicated to the Holy Rood, and it still stands, among the earliest of his many foundations and today part of the UNESCO listing of Moldavian churches. It is a modest building, whitewashed and low, with a steep roof, and it stands in a village on the edge of Suceava county, a stone's throw from Dărmănești. The scale surprises people who come expecting a cathedral, and then the frescoes inside bring them up short.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 89 km into the recorded legs you reach Church of the Holy Rood of Patrauti. Next is Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metr.
4. Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metr
The Residence of the Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans in Chernivtsi is one of the most extraordinary buildings in Eastern Europe, a red-brick complex of towers, domes and arcades that looks like a cross between a Byzantine monastery, a Moorish palace and a Victorian college. It was designed by the Czech architect Josef Hlávka and built between 1864 and 1882 as the seat of the Orthodox metropolitan of Bukovina and Dalmatia, then provinces of the Austrian Empire. The roofs are covered with coloured glazed tiles in patterns derived from the folk art of the region, the interiors are lavishly decorated, and the complex includes a seminary, a church and gardens. Today it houses the Chernivtsi National University, and it was listed by UNESCO in 2011. Students fill the courtyards, and guided tours show the main halls, including the stunning Marble Hall.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Church of the Assumption of the Virgin of comes up about 298 km into the recorded legs. Next is Church of the Annunciation of the Monaster.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Church of the Annunciation of the Monaster closes the day.
Leg by leg
Church of the Annunciation of the Monaster to Church of the Assumption of the Virgin of
Church of the Annunciation of the Monaster → Church of the Assumption of the Virgin of is 40 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Church of the Assumption of the Virgin of to Church of the Holy Rood of Patrauti
Church of the Assumption of the Virgin of → Church of the Holy Rood of Patrauti is 49 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Church of the Holy Rood of Patrauti to Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metr
Church of the Holy Rood of Patrauti → Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metr is 81 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metr to back through Church of the Holy Rood of Patrauti
Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metr → back through Church of the Holy Rood of Patrauti is 82 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Church of the Holy Rood of Patrauti to back through Church of the Assumption of the Virgin of
back through Church of the Holy Rood of Patrauti → back through Church of the Assumption of the Virgin of is 46 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Church of the Assumption of the Virgin of to Church of the Annunciation of the Monaster
back through Church of the Assumption of the Virgin of → Church of the Annunciation of the Monaster is 41 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.