The name Bucovina may not mean much to many people, but Bucovina, and its brave princes, played an important part in the history of this European region, and in particular with regard to relations with the Ottoman Empire. The impressive number of churches to be found there, with their fine exterior and interior frescoes, have been preserved and handed down from mediaeval times, and because of their uniqueness and artistic value, were added to UNESCO's World Cultural Heritage List in 1993. There is, indeed, no other place in the world where such a group of churches, with such high quality exterior frescoes, are to be seen.

The churches were founded, in most cases, as family burial places of princes and high nobles. Each painter, although following the canonical iconographic programme, interpreted the scenes in a slightly different way. The scenes were first painted on the interior walls, and then extended to the exterior ones. The reasons for such vast scenes were both religious and didactic: to promote Orthodoxy and to educate the illiterate.

The Painted Churches and Monasteries of Bucovina are so multifaceted that they have been the object of both scientific treatises and easy-to-read books. We decided that they finally deserve a book that not only displays beautiful photographs of the churches, the mural paintings and the surrounding landscapes, but also describes in depth this unique artistic and historical phenomenon.

Still under preparation, the book is a journey through the region, showing the natural beauty of Bucovina. The churches, which have withstood time, plunder and neglect, and which still preserve the tales of faith painted on their facades, are shown as an integral part of the surrounding villages and countryside.

Besides photographs and text, line drawings of the frescoes will form an important part of the book. These will enable the reader to understand the story told in the scenes and to see the difference between the churches.