User:Postolache Roxana/Uspenia Church from Botosani

Adormirea Maicii Domnului Church

The "Adormirea Maicii Domnului" Church (Uspenia), Botosani county is the the second foundation of Elena Rares. It has been built in 1552 and it followed more the example of Saint Nicolae Church of Stephen the Great more than the example of the Saint George one. The masters of the XVI century reproduced the plan and the structure of the Botosani prototype untill the detail elements, for example, the decoration of the cap of the narthex realized with ceramics after a simplified drawing in the shape of a cross. The 12 side tower (as the Popauti Monastery) received the same design in the exterior composition, by the double base with 8 corners. The architectural decoration, composed by niches has been completed by discs in yellow and green and probably with polychrome paintings. 

The church has been repaired in 1724-1725 by Mihail Racovita, but the the research stage does not allow the ascertainment of some changes introduced with this occasion. Instead, the 1819 intervention, recorded with inscription, has given the church the today's aspect, adding on the west side a bell tower in a classical style, admirable proportioned. The body of the church has been unified with the bell by building the triconch at the level of a general cornices sustained by consoles, in this way the inferior base of the tower being covered. With the actual look, Uspenia illustrates two major phases of the Moldavian architecture: the phase of the first half of the XVI century, in which the innovations of the polychrome decoration are the base of the traditional and classical structures of the begging of the XIX century. Keeping Uspania away from the transformations suffered by the other two foundations will allow the execution of a restoration, which will contain in reducing the empty spaces in the windows at the epoch dimensions and unveiling the original floor of the first phase of the construction, keeping tho the valuable contribution of the XIX century, including baroque billboards.          

Bibliography

• Eugenia Greceanu - The Medieval Urban Ensemble, Botosani (National History Museum, Architectural Historic Ensembles, Bucharest, 1981)