1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,000 Murals of blue, churches of Moldavia. 2 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:10,000 Church walls entirely covered with colourful fresco paintings, 3 00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:17,000 a feature unique to the region of Moldavia in Romania. 4 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:22,000 Moldavia has long been called the land where God lives. 5 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:25,000 Many of the churches have frescoes here, 6 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:31,000 seven of them have been inscribed as World Heritage. 7 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:36,000 The Principality of Moldavia fought against Ottoman invasion in the 15th century 8 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:45,000 and a church was built with each fictory. 9 00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:50,000 The outside walls of the churches and monasteries were covered with Bible story paintings 10 00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:55,000 so that people who were illiterate could understand the biblical message. 11 00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:58,000 These pictures were painted by local peasants. 12 00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:04,000 Jesus, held in the arms of Virgin Mary, wears traditional peasant clothing. 13 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:13,000 And here he's holding a kopsa, a musical instrument of the region. 14 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:19,000 The holy atmosphere in Moldavia attracts nuns from all over the country to serve God. 15 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:24,000 Labour and prayer reminiscent of medieval times can still be found here. 16 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:29,000 This is the village of Voronet, they adopted the name from the monastery. 17 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:34,000 Horse-drawn carriages are still a main means of transportation. 18 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:40,000 This is the church of Saint George in the Voronet monastery. 19 00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:44,000 People celebrate the spring festival of Saint George, the village's patron saint, 20 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:48,000 with the saints drawn on the walls looking on. 21 00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:58,000 One of the special characteristics of the Moldavian frescoes is the vivid blue colour known as the Voronet blue. 22 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:02,000 450 years have passed since these murals were painted, 23 00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:07,000 however the walls still retain the vivid blue colour to this day. 24 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:13,000 The Last Judgment is considered to be the best mural in Moldavia. 25 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:19,000 This warm mural depicts heaven and hell. 26 00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:26,000 Sinners are thrown into hell fire, the saints are in heaven. 27 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:33,000 Pious and righteous Moldavia people are here held in the arms of the saints. 28 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:40,000 The fresco churches have always been the heart of village life, a living world heritage.