Vestry chest

It was thought that the vestry chest at Putna Monastery is the coffin which contained the remains of the martyr St. John the New, brought in 1402 from cetatea Alba to Suceava, first in the old Mirauti Church, and after 1522 in St. George’s Church, the new metropolitan seat founded by Bogdan III and his son Stefanita. The remains were moved in time to Iasi and Vienna, then returned to Suceava to their final resting place. Thus, the chest at Putna Monastery is in fact a vestry chest for the keeping of the priestly attire and religious books. The outside of the chest is carved with scenes from the Passion of Jesus Christ. Nothing is certain about the date and origin of this object. It is thought to have come from Northern Italy, carved in the style of the early Renaissance period. As to the period in which it was made, it can be placed between the end of the 14th and the first decades of the 15th century. It was probably brought to Putna in the last decade of the 15th century, and in 1764 is attested as a chest for the keeping of important documents - the archives of the monastery.


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