Metal objects have always fared worse than the manuscripts, prints, embroideries, and vestments in the treasury of a monastery. On one hand, the expensive material from which they were made attracted the greed of thieves and plunderers, who stole them, chopped, split, hammered them out of shape to fit them into sacks, and stripped them of their pearls and gems.
On the other hand, pieces that deteriorated through prolonged use were melted and recast into other liturgical vessels by their owners. In both cases, the original items, with their unique decorations and old dedicatory inscriptions, have been lost.
In its over half a millennium of existence, Putna was not immune to such trials; it is even more astonishing to see just how many vigil lamps, censers, chalices, diskoses, and candle holders have lasted at their original place of dedication, shimmering their silver under light.
Censer donated by Saint Stephen the Great to the Putna Monastery in 1470.
The oldest piece of gold and goldsmithery in Putna’s dowry, which survived the 1484 fire and all the subsequent ravaging and plundering, is a censer donated by Saint Stephen the Great. Wrought with great care in silver gilt, the censer weighs over 2.5 kg.
It resembles a structure with three superimposed stories, composed of pointed arches and windows separated by buttresses. Within some of the arches are figures with halos. The small, intricate ornaments are actually scaled-down versions of Gothic architectural elements. The roof is topped by a cross bearing a representation of the Savior.
The decorations on Stephen the Great’s Censer
The foot of the censer features the engraved coats of arms of the country and of the voivode, sustained, in accordance with heraldic representations, by two standing pages. Five chains, adorned with seraphim and bells, are attached at the top to an octagonal roof-shaped lid, each decorated with a cabochon. The inscription running around the bowl reads, in translation: “This censer was made by Io Stephen, Voivode of Moldavia, in the year 6978 <1470>, on the 12th day of April.”.
Through this and other donations, and through his deeds in accordance with God’s plan and carried out through the power of God, Saint Stephen brought God’s presence into his everyday life and into his nation’s everyday life.
The date of the dedication, corresponding to the 13th anniversary of St. Stephen the Great’s ascension to the throne, and the form of the piece (a representation of the Heavenly Jerusalem) reveal the censer’s character as a commemorative object and show its significance within the symbolic thinking of the ruler of Moldavia.
On May 1, 1488, while the foundation stone of the Church of Saint Elijah was being laid near Suceava, Stephen the Great offered Putna Monastery a silver gilt crown for the head of Saint Gennadius.
A silver gilt ripidion has also survived, gifted to Putna Monastery by St. Stephen the Great. It might have been produced in the same workshop as two others sent in 1488 to Zographou Monastery on Mount Athos and preserved today at the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian on the Island of Patmos. On the bulb of the handle, the inscription engraved in beautiful letters reads: “Io Stephen Voivode, by the mercy of God prince of the Land of Moldavia, son of Bogdan Voivode, made this ripidion for the monastery at Putna, where the patronal feast is the Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God, in the year 7005 <1497>, the 14th of January.”
Ripidion donated by Saint Stephen the Great to the Putna Monastery.
Stephen Voivode also offered other works of goldsmithery to his foundation. Witness to this is a vessel for holy water, made of silver gilt and weighing more than 2.5 kg. Wide at the mouth and provided with two handles, it is relatively simple in terms of ornamentation. One might even say that its decoration consists of the elegantly outlined letters of the inscription on the outer rim: “This baptismal vessel was renewed by Io Alexander Voivode and his lady, Roxanda, from an old baptismal vessel which hath been made by the elder Stephen Voivode and given to Putna Monastery in the year 7075 <1567> the 18th of June.”
This baptismal font, from the patrimony of the Putna Monastery Museum, was restored by Voivode Alexander Lăpușneanu.
The old baptismal font donated by St. Stephen the Great had the same fate as the 1489 Gospel Book, restored by Lady Ruxandra, Alexandru Lăpușneanu’s wife, from “the old silver of the elder Stephen Voivode”.
The princely couple was also responsible for the refashioning of a koliva vessel weighing more than 4 kg of silver gilt. On its broad rim, between two concentric rows of vegetal decoration, runs a Slavic inscription: “This dish was made by Io Alexander Voivode and his lady Roxanda, and their children Bogdan and Petru and Constantin, and they gave it to the Putna Monastery to be used for koliva, in the year 7075 <1567>, the 11th of June."
Koliva vessel refashioned by Voivode Alexandru Lăpușneanu and Lady Ruxandra Lăpușneanu.
The ancient records note that in the 16th century and especially the 17th century, the Putna Monastery did not receive much goldsmithery. Rather, this period was marked by massive icon mountings, book bindings, and crosses.
In the 18th century, Putna received rich and substantial donations in goldsmithery. From what is known at this time, it appears that the first came from Metropolitan Anthony, whose monastery of penance was Putna.
Censer gifted by Metropolitan Anthony, 1734; vigil lamp from Metropolitan Anthony, 1734; censer attributed to the same Metropolitan Anthony.
In the following decades, the treasury of Putna was enriched with a vigil lamp for the big icon of the Mother of God, two candle holders made by Monk Raphael and given in 1768 by “Jacob, former Metropolitan of Moldavia,” thirteen silver spoons given by Monk Silas in 1780, a Litya vessel made from the monastery’s own silver (about 3 kg), begun in the time of Abbot Anthony and completed under the abbacy of Pachomius in 1772, a tabernacle worked from the monastery’s silver during the abbacy of Joasaph in 1779, and a pair of clasps donated by a nun named Alexandra in 1793.
Candle holders made by Monk Raphael and donated to the Putna Monastery in 1768 by “Jacob, former Metropolitan of Moldavia.”
To all these must be added the mountings for icons and crosses. The most representative for the 18th century is undoubtedly the mounting commissioned by St. Jacob of Putna, Metropolitan of Moldavia, in 1755 and made from the monastery’s silver (about 8 kg) for the icon of the Mother of God with the Child. In 1758, the holy heads received two crowns crafted by Master Raphael from precious metal, stones, and pearls taken from a princely tomb that had been opened that year at Putna.
Crown for Christ the Child
Crown for the Mother of God
Since these crowns were placed only on the great feasts, two others were made for everyday use, somewhat simpler but also of silver gilt.
In 7276 <1767–1768>, Holy Metropolitan Jacob also dedicated to the monastery another icon mounted in silver, depicting the Mother of God in an attitude of prayer and the Savior Jesus Christ crucified.
A careful study of the precious metal objects reveals, as is the case with the Gospel Books, that the monks of Putna did not limit themselves merely to preserving the treasures dedicated to their monastery, but also assumed the task of saving those destined for destruction when other monasteries were closed. Most of the saved objects come from Sihăstria Putnei and date back to the 18th century. A diskos made by Iordache Cantacuzino Pașcanu and his wife Katrina, and a vigil lamp donated by Ștefăniță Iamandi, both from the year 7253 <1744–1745>, are the oldest goldsmithery known today from the Putna Hermitage treasury.
Silver gilt chalice made by Master Rafail in 1757.
They were followed by a series of other treasures: a chalice donated by the first hegumen of the skete, Dositheus, together with Hieromonk Silas, in 7256 <1747–1748>; a vigil lamp from the year 7265 <1756–1757>; a chalice gilt on the inside in 1755; a silver gilt chalice—a remarkable piece with Baroque-style motifs and colored enamels, made by Master Raphael in 7265 <1756–1757>; a diskos from the hands of the same master in the same year; an asteriks for the diskos, undated but likewise made by Raphael; and finally a pair of clasps. All these objects mention in their inscriptions Hegumen Silas’ name. By analogy with these, it may be assumed that pieces lacking dedicatory inscriptions were also made during the time of the same abbot: an asteriks , a liturgical spear, two spoons, and a second pair of clasps.
Liturgical spear, 1757; presumably made during the time of Hegumen Silas of the Sihăstria Putnei Skete.
In addition to the objects that the monks from Sihăstria Putnei Skete took with them when they had to leave their dwelling place, other items also found refuge at the Putna Monastery after the suppression of monasteries in Austrian-occupied Bukovina.
Thus, three pieces come from the Moldovița Monastery: a Panagia vessel, a censer (made by Archimandrite Venedict in 1778), and a vigil lamp (whose inscription mentions the same donor, but no year).
The Panagia vessel is made of mother-of-pearl and is decorated, on one side, with a representation of the Holy Trinity in the scene of the Hospitality of Abraham, and, on the other side, the Platytera-type icon of the Mother of God.
The outer mounting—which must have been worked in silver, with decorations specific to the period—has disappeared over time. Three broken clasps remain from it, which once closed the recessed covers. Fortunately, the Slavic dedicatory inscription was not lost together with the mounting, because it had been engraved inside the object. We therefore know that “this Panagia vessel was commissioned by Ion Teclici and his wife Tecla, for the salvation of their souls and of their parents’, and of Cosma’s soul, Tecla’s brother, to Moldovița, in the year 7061 <1553>.”
From Voroneț Monastery, a relic came to Putna: a fragment of St. Daniel the Hermit’s relics, covered in silver and adorned with a ruby and pearls. Its mounting was made in 1749 at the expense of Abbot Gedeon, and the relic was placed in a silver reliquary chest whose inscription recorded the names of the donors—Alexandru Lăpușneanu, Lady Ruxandra Lăpușneanu, and their sons Bogdan, Petru, and Constantin—as well as the date of December 4, 1567.
Some of the silver objects mentioned above have been preserved to this day, while others have disappeared over time. From old descriptions, it is clear that already in the 18th century, there were damaged and broken objects lacking parts or decorative elements. Such pieces were melted and turned into raw material, from which other vessels and mountings were repaired or remade.
After the seat of the Diocese of Bukovina was transferred—and especially after the diocesan seat was raised to the rank of metropolis—many treasures were requested and taken to Chernivtsi. Others were given in 1785 to poor parishes.
Finally, other treasures were surrendered to the Austrian authorities, who were seeking solutions to restore the finances of the empire, severely affected by the wars with Napoleon Bonaparte. Thus, in 1806, a tax was introduced on goldsmithery objects, which had to be inspected and marked (punzierung), and, in 1809, the surrender of precious metal pieces was required, in the form of a ten-year loan to aid the state (lieferung).
To save their silverware, the monks of the Putna Monastery wrote to the emperor in Vienna in 1810. Their attempt proved unsuccessful, and the documents of the time begin to record the removal from Putna’s inventories of several vessels and liturgical objects, of a pair of clasps, and also of the reliquary chest made by Alexandru Lăpușneanu for the relics of St. Daniel the Hermit.
Mother-of-pearl Panagia vessel, 1553, originating from the Moldovița Monastery.
