The painted monasteries of Bucovina are masterpieces of art and architecture. The monasteries were founded after the fall of Constantinople to the Turks in 1453, in the troubled times between 1466 and 1600. To protect themselves from frequent attacks by Tartars in the east, from the Ottoman Empire in the south, and from Catholic infiltration, the princes of Moldavia built fortifications and established Orthodox strongholds throughout the area. Situated between east and west, Moldavia ("the gate of Christianity") produced a unique synthesis of Roman and Gothic elements and Byzantine culture. The Movilas, who followed the brilliant reign of Stephen the Great and his family, built the fortified churches and monasteries for which Bucovina is justly famous today. Most of the churches have a tower on the nave and combine a typically Byzantine trifoliate plan with slender Gothic forms and buttressing. For the edification of the illiterate faithful, polychrome frescoes depicting hundreds of Biblical characters adorn the churches' outer and inner walls. Although essentially Byzantine, the frescoes are infused with the vitality of folk art and mythology. Little is known about the artists, but their skills were such that the paintings remain fresh today, 450 years after their first exposure. Remarkably, the layer of colour in these frescoes is only 0.25 mm thick. In Italian frescoes, by contrast, the paint is absorbed deep into the plaster. Using a palette which included the famous Voronet blue, the green-red of Sucevita, the yellow of Moldovita, the red of Humor and the green of Arbore, the painters recounted the narratives of the earthly and heavenly church, scenes from the lives of the Virgin and the Savior, tales of man's beginnings and of his life beyond death. Also shown are scenes depicting the defence of the Orthodox against deceivers and foes. Standing amidst splendid mountain scenery, surrounded by misty valleys, pristine mountain streams and mighty forests of beech and fir, these churches stay bright in the memory long after the visitor has departed. In this breathtaking landscape, as Dr Andre Lwoff noted, 'Everything is so harmonious that it makes you feel meditative and optimistic alike. In the porch of every worship place in the monastic archipelago in the Highland, you experience and live the accomplishment of the feeling of peace.