Situated in the northeastern side of
the town of Suceava, near the city fortress, it is
considered by historians as one of the oldest Moldavian
monasteries. The beginnings of this church date from
the times of Petru I Musat, the prince who moved the
capital of Moldavia from Siret to Suceava. It is certain
though that between 1336 and 1388 the voivode settled
Moldavia's diocese here with Iosif I as metropolitan
bishop. In 1402, according to tradition, the relics
of St. John the New were brought to this metropolitan
residence. St. John the New is a saint martyred in
Cetatea Alba (Ackerman) in 1330 because he had not
given up the true faith. From 1402 until 1589, the
relics of St. John the New were enshrined in Mirauti,
and then they were moved to the new metropolitan residence,
founded by Bogdan III and Stefanita Voda. During the
reign of Stephen the Great the church was destroyed.
Stephen the Great erected another church on its ruins,
becoming thus its second founder. In 1513 the church
was again destroyed and abandoned until the 17th century
(the characteristics of the epoch can be seen in the
replacement of the separating wall between the nave
and the narthex by two pillars, the frieze placed
in the two rows of bricks disposed in zigzag, some
Swedish coins with the monogram G.A. - Gustav Adolf
- which were found in the masonry. The present-day
form, which is very different from the initial one,
is the result of the restoration works undertaken
by K.A. Romstorfer at the end of the 19th century,
as well as the consolidation works undertaken between
1996 and 2000. The interior painting is made in tempera
in the western fashion by the Viennese painter Carl
Jobst between 1898 and 1903. The church has a trefoil
form with a bell-tower adjoining the southern wall
of the narthex and both from a structural and a decorative
point of view, the present-day structure has a series
of features characteristic of the new period of development
of Moldavian architecture opened by the Church of
Galata under the influence of Wallachian art.
