The Image of The Last Judgment on the West Wall of the Church in Voroneț: Genesis and Message

Genesis and Message

Abstract

The article undertakes an analysis of the depiction of The Last Judgment on the western wall of St. George’s Orthodox Church in Voroneț, northern Romania. The composition is part of a larger artistic issue related to the phenomenon of painted churches of northern Moldova, created in its essential core in the 16th century. The objectives established in the title, that is, to determine the genesis and meaning of the composition, encourage tracing several aspects of the fresco. First, it is necessary to outline the possible directions of the influx of inspiration, artists and cultural influences. Next, the sources of the very way of depicting the Day of Judgment and the pictorial formulas used (iconography) should be examined. The message of the work is also directly linked to the functions the fresco has performed over the centuries, reflecting the radical change in the optics of perception depending on the historical and cultural situation. As a whole, it reveals the complex meaning of the image, which invariably makes for an interesting research topic.

Fig. 1
The Last Judgment, western wall, Church of St. George, Voroneț, 1550
Source: Wikimedia, Judecata de apoi, Voronet.jpg (02.11.2023).

Sąd Ostateczny, ściana zachodnia, cerkiew św. Jerzego, Woroniec, 1550
Źródło: Wikimedia, Judecata_de_apoi,_Voronet.jpg (02.11.2023).

 

Fig. 2
The Ancient of Days (Antiquus Dierum), fragment of The Last Judgment, Church of St. George, Voroneț, 1550
Source: Wikimedia, Română: Mănăstirea Voroneț (02.11.2023).

Starzec Dni (Antiquus DIerum), fragment Sądu Ostatecznego, cerkiew św. Jerzego, Woroniec, 1550
Źródło: Wikimedia, Mănăstirea Voroneț 13.jpg (02.11.2023).

Fig. 3
The Ancient of Days, Church of the Savior in Nereditsa in Novgorod, 1199
Source: www.pravenc.ru (02.11.2023).

Starzec Dni, cerkiew Zbawiciela na Neredicy w Nowogrodzie, 1199
Źródło: www.pravenc.ru (02.11.2023).

Fig. 4
The Tree of Jesse, fragment, eastern wall, Church of Resurrection, Suceviţa 1596
Source: Wikimedia, Sucevita_murals (02.11.2023).

Drzewo Jessego, fragment, ściana wschodnia, cerkiew Zmartwychwstania, Suczawica 1596
Źródło: Wikimedia, Sucevita_murals_2010_17.jpg (02.11.2023).

Fig. 5
The Last Judgment, fragment western wall, Church of St. George, Voroneț, 1550
Source: Wikimedia, Last Judgement/Hell (02.11.2023).

Sąd Ostateczny, fragment, ściana zachodnia, cerkiew św. Jerzego, Woroniec, 1550
Źródło: Wikimedia, Hell (02.11.2023).