Putna Monastery

The Putna monastery  is a Romanian Orthodox monastery, one of the most important cultural, religious and artistic centers established in medieval Moldavia; as with many others, it was built and dedicated by Prince Stephen the Great. Putna was founded on the lands perambulated by the Putna (which has its source in the Obcina Mare mountains, Bukovina). Stephen the Great is famous for building and influencing the building of dozens of churches and monasteries all over Moldavia (allegedly, he founded a religious edifice after each important military victory). The Putna Monastery houses the tombs of Stephen —nowadays, a place of pilgrimage —, and several of his family members. The icon veils and tombstones are held as fine examples of Moldavian art in Stephen the Great’s time.
Source: Wikipedia

Thanks to Anca for this beautiful view of Putna Monastery!

Sent: 26 February 2016    Received: 16 March 2016   Travelled: 19 days

Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, North Yorkshire

Fountains Abbey is one of the largest and best preserved ruined Cistercian monasteries in England. It is located approximately 3 miles (5 kilometres) south-west of Ripon in North Yorkshire, near to the village of Aldfield. Founded in 1132, the abbey operated for over 400 years, until 1539, when Henry VIII ordered the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

The abbey is a Grade I listed building owned by the National Trust and part of the designated Studley Royal Park including the Ruins of Fountains Abbey UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In 1986 the parkland in which the abbey is situated and the abbey was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It was recognised for fulfilling the criteria of being a masterpiece of human creative genius, and an outstanding example of a type of building or architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates significant stages in human history. Fountains Abbey is owned by the National Trust and maintained by English Heritage. The trust owns Studley Royal Park, Fountains Hall, to which there is partial public access, and St Mary's Church, designed by William Burges and built around 1873, all of which are significant features of the World Heritage Site.
Source: Wikipedia

Thanks to Tom for the card of the medieval deer park 

and lovely bees stamp and art!

Sent: 15 November 2015   Received: 30 November 2015   Travelled: 15 days

Andronicus monastery

Thanks to Maria for this nice postcard of the monastery.

Sent: 18 May 2015   Received: 9 June 2015    Travelled: 21 days

Dragomirna

The Dragomirna Monastery was built during the first three decades of the 17th century, 15 km from Suceava, in Mitocu Dragomirnei commune. It is the tallest medieval monastery in Bucovina and renowned in Orthodox architecture for its unique proportions and intricate details, mostly carved into stone. It lies among forested hills of fir and oak. The history of the monastery started in 1602, when the small church in the graveyard was built and dedicated to Saints Enoch, Elijah and John the Theologian. In 1609 the dedication of the larger church was made to the "Descent of the Holy Spirit".

Thanks to Marius for not one, but two great postcards that arrived to my home today.

I love monasteries and the card showing a monk tending to his flock.

Sent: 2 March 2015   Received: 2 April 2015   Travelled: 39 days

Ottobeuren Abbey

Ottobeuren is a Benedictine abbey, located in Ottobeuren, near Memmingen in the Bavarian Allgäu, Germany.
For part of its history Ottobeuren Abbey was one of the 40-odd self-ruling imperial abbeys of the Holy Roman Empire and, as such, was a virtually independent state. At the time of its dissolution in 1802, the imperial abbey covered 266 square kilometers and had about 10,000 subjects.

Thank you to Reinhold for this beautiful interior card of the Abbey!

Sent: 15 September 2014   Received: 7 October 2014   Travelled: 22 days

Prilep, Macedonia

Excerpt on back: The monastery complex Treskavec with the Church

"Assumption of the Mother of God" is built on the older cult place.

The church was built in XIII century.

Yay another monastery card! I was on another hill and could only see this place in the far distance. Did not have the time to visit as I was only in Prilep for a brief visit. Thank you Martina for the

beautiful card :)

Sent: 29 March 2014   Received: 11 April 2014   Travelled: 13 days

Bulgarian rock monasteries

 

1. Ivanovo Rock Monasteries - UNESCO (Rousse Region)

2. Rock Monastery Kan Krum village (Shoumen Region)

3. Aladja Rock Monastery (Varna region)

4. Bassarbovo Rock Monastery (Ruse Region)

5. Albutinski Rock Monastery (Vidin Region)

 

Thank you Irina for this amazing card! Yes I'm a history nerd and I love finding out more about these monasteries from Wikipedia!

Sent: 13 March 2013
Received: 9 April 2013
Travelled: 22 days

Kykkos Monastery

Contemporary Byzantine Frescoes by the Hand of Georgios Chr. Georgiou

An amazing view of the interior of Kykkos Monastery in North Cyrpus, 

sent by my regular swapper friend Filiz from Turkey. Thank you!

Sent: 26 February 2013,   Arrived: 7 March 2013,   Travelled: 9 days

Sumela Monastery

The Sumela Monastery is a Greek Orthodox monastery dedicated to the Virgin Mary (Panagia, meaning "All Holy" in Greek) at Melá Mountain ( Greek name Ouros Melá, meaning Black Mountain) within the Pontic Mountains range, in the Maçka district of Trabzon Province in modern Turkey.
The monastery was founded in 386 AD during the reign of the Emperor Theodosius I (375 - 395). Legend has it that two priests undertook its creation after discovering a miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary in a cave on the mountain.

The monastery was seized by the Russian Empire during the 1916-18 occupation of Trabzon.
The site was abandoned in 1923, following forced population exchanges between Greece and Turkey. The departing monks were not allowed to take any property with them, so they buried Sumela's famous icon under the floor of the monastery's St. Barbara chapel. In 1930, a monk secretly returned to Sumela and retrieved the icon, transferring it to the new Panagia Soumela Monastery, on the slopes of Mount Vermion, near the town of Naousa, in Macedonia, Greece.
Today the monastery's primary function is as a tourist attraction. It overlooks forests and streams, making it extremely popular for its aesthetic attraction as well as for its cultural and religious significance.
As of 2012, the Turkish government is funding restoration work, and the monastery is enjoying a revival in pilgrimage from Greece and Russia.

 

Monasteries always have an other wordly appeal to me, mostly I wonder at the

the serenity of life the monks and nuns have in a monastery, far from the daily concerns

of our capitalistic world. Thank you Furkan for this great card! I enjoy it very much

Received: 21 December 2012