Roman Catholic Church in Fürstenthal (Voievodeasa)

R O M A N C A THO L I C C HU R C H I N VO I EVO D EA S A ( F Ü R S TE N THA L ) „SOLI DEO HONOR ET GLORIA” Only to God glory and praise!

The current beautiful church in Fürstenthal was built between 1830 and 1867. Its builder was the distinguished Father Ignaz SEIDEL, who led the catholic community from Fürstenthal for 40 years (1844­1884), until he died on the 20th of September 1884. He was buried in the Catholic cemetery of the Picture of the Church in 1960. village.

The church was consecrated on the 28th­29th of August 1887 by Bishop Jan Maurycy Pawel PU­ ZYNA (1842­1911), who later became cardinal of Krakow, in 1901. On this occasion, the com­ munity was lifted to the rank of parish. Between 1821 and 1940, Cardinal Jan the year when the Germans were Puzyna relocated from Bukovina, the Catholic community in Fürstenthal was led by 19 priests, whose names are engraved on a marble stone in the Catholic cemetery in Fürstenthal.

When viewed from the front, the church is prece­ ded by the alley of silence, a green atrium of this place which helps visitors pray and leave the hustle and bustle of everyday life behind.

In front of the church there is a monument made out of black marble, a cross built on the site where the altar of the first wooden chapel stood, which was built in 1822 and replaced with the current day church in 1865. On the front wall of the church, there are two gold mosaics, representing the apostles Peter and Paul, the patron saints of the community.

On the same entrance alley there is a marble mo足 nument with two mosaics representing the images of Jesus the Redeemer and of Mary, the Mother of Divine Providence. The monument was built as a memorial of the Diocesan Synod from Iasi, in 2007 (8.12.2001足8.12.2007)

Inside the church there are three altars, the main altar being dedicated to St. Peter and Paul, the pa足 tron saints of the community. In the presbytery, one can find two wooden statues, made in Austria, dating back to the consecration of the church, which took place in 1887.

The side altars are dedicated to The Heart of Jesus and to the The Heart of Mary. The paintings were made by the artist Viliu Ciobanu from Budﾄナ, Iasi, in 2004.

On the church ceiling, there are two paintings, representing the Last Supper and the St Peter’s primacy. The images were painted in 1927 by the artist Emink CODIN.

Inside the church, the seven windows decorated with expressive stained glass, represent the fol­ lowing themes: a) On the left side we find: the Annun­ ciation, the Descent of the Holy Spirit, the Sacri­ ficed and glorified Lamb from the book of Revela­ tions (Revelations 5, 9­14), under which one can see the picture of Father Josef ETTMAYR, parish priest of Fürstenthal between 1916­1924 and 1931­1936, a very talented musician and excellent preacher.

b) On the right side one can see: the Holy Family, St. Michael the Archangel, the Good Shepherd and underneath the picture of Archbishop Joseph WEBER (1846足1918), son of this community. The window behind the choir is dedicated as stained glass to the Assumption of Mary.

All mosaics and stained glasses were created at Iasi, at the Art Georgies – Mosaicart center, under the guidance of Virgil MORARU.

The church also has a side chapel dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua, represented by another stained glass. Inside this chapel there is a big image of St. Peter and Paul, which was previously in the altar of the old church, altar which was given as a gift by the former parish priest of Rădăuţi, Iosif Krassler (1959­ 1974), to the Catholic Church in Pustiana, county of Bacău.

The current church in Fürstenthal was severely af­ fected by the passing of time. During the Second World War, the church became the bedroom of Rus­ sian soldiers. They have left their mark on the pain­ ting of the Last Supper towards which they shot their guns. Even today there are three bullets in the pain­ ting, which were kept as memorial of the war.

Archbishop Joseph WEBER (1846­1918). Son of this community. Between 1895­1906 he was auxiliary archbishop of Lemberg (today Lviv, Ukraine). Picture from 1902.

Between 1946 and 1995, the church was given to the Orthodox community by the Department of Cults. In 1995, the Catholic community reclaimed it and started repair works. These were possible through the generosity of the Catholic family of Ioan and Elena Zaremba. After much work and spending, on the 3rd of July 2005, the church was consecrated by the Bishop of Iaşi, Petru GHERGHEL, for the glory of God and the joy of the believers in Fürstenthal.

Father Dr. Eduard Ferenţ 16.07.2013

Voievodeasa is part of the Suceviţa community in the Suceava county.

The village is located at the base of the Obcina Mare mountain, 16 km away from Rădăuţi.

From the national road 17A, there are 800 m until the Resurrection Chapel, and from the Touristic Complex „Voievod” there are 2.3 km Between the Chapel and the St. Peter and Paul Church there are approximately 1.9 km.

Between the Touristic Complex “Voievod” and the church there are approximately 3.6 km.

Descriptions and explanations: Father Dr. Eduard Ferenţ Translation: Andrei Şmid Photography and design: engineer Ioan Şmid Printing: engineer Ioan Şmid ©2013