Last Judgement

The "Last Judgement" fresco at the Humor Monastery (in Suceava County, Romania) was painted by Toma Zugravu (Thomas the Painter) of Suceava. It can be still viewed at the church of the Dormition of the Theotokos, on the east wall of its open porch. The Monastery of Humor has been placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, together with other painted churches to be found in northern Moldavia: Voroneț, Moldovița, Sucevița, Suceava, Pătrăuți, Probota and Arbore. One of the most famous foundations in medieval Moldavia, Humor was built in 1530. Its exterior frescos, accomplished in 1535 by Master Toma Zugravu – this "painter and courtier" of Voivode Petru Rareș (1527-1538; 1541-1546) –, are among the oldest paintings of this kind in Moldavia. Almost the entire iconography of the Humor porch illustrates the theme of Last Judgement, which is emblematic of medieval spirituality in general, and the 16-th century Moldavia in particular. Making use with great mastery of the existing architectural surfaces, Toma managed to achieve a rich composition, arranging it in a very interesting way. Placed in the centre of the cradle-shaped ceiling, on the "double arch", Christ the Judge is flanked by orders of angels and apostles. The composition descends then along the eastern wall, where Christ, the Righteous Judge – sitting on a rainbow, in the centre of the Deisis – commences the process of Judgement, assisted by the Holy Apostles. On the central axis, there is the Throne of the Hetimasia, meaning the Throne that "has been made ready" for Judgment; from the Greek "hetoimasia" – literally "preparation", on which the Gospel and the Holy Spirit, represented in the form of a dove are placed. On the right and left sides of the Throne, Adam and Eve – the first people to be judged – are already kneeling, while Moses is leading the Gentiles to the Judgment. Below, just under the Throne, God's hand is holding the Scale of Justice. A man’s soul is now on trial. Placed under the Scale, between its two plates, the soul is depicted like a little new-born child. The man’s deeds, in the form of scrolls, are placed on the scales and weighed. Both angels and demons are contending over him. There is a small detail here which usually goes unnoticed but which is very important in the economy of the scene and needs to be emphasized: to the satisfaction of the Angels, man’s good deeds outweigh his sins, although they are fewer in number. If Angels – acting as defence lawyers - rejoice when a soul is saved, Devils cannot understand nor accept this paradox. Their logic remains unable to face the mystery of God’s Justice and Mercy, for Whom a single scroll of good deeds performed out charity and in full humility, can weigh more than a multitude of bad deeds scrolls. Being angry because they are losing a soul, they are making desperate attempts to change the situation. They are acting like some corrupt prosecutors, and are doing everything in their power to fraud the trial, including ridiculously clinging to the scale, with the hope that the balance will tilt in their favour. Their chaotic and violent behaviour gets a severe response from the angelic ranks led by Holy Archangel Michael. Having a spear in his hand, the Archangel is ensuring the smooth running of things, by scaring off demons. His presence – placed slightly to the south – is likely to release any confidence, poise and majesty. A River of Fire flows from the feet of the Righteous Judge. At the opposite end the River is swallowed by the monster Leviathan and guarded by Satan himself. Great sinners are writhing in the whirling Red River: emperors that have persecuted Christians, Arius the heretic, etc. Beyond the River, a composition with a single sub-theme – the Resurrection – is ordered around three nuclei represented by symbols of the natural elements: the Air, the Earth and the Sea, each releasing the bodies of the dead that they may rise again. As a reminder of our impending end, the Holy Prophet David is sitting at the head of a poor man who is giving his soul into the hands of an Angel, an allusion to the Gospel parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16, 19-31).The king-poet takes the viewer by surprise as he is playing a cobza [a lute-like Romanian folk instrument]. As a counterpart to this representation and completing the composition, the orderly and serene ranks of the righteous led by St Peter to the open gates of Paradise are portrayed. Beyond the gates, is found Heaven, the realm of eternal happiness, which is painted on against a white background, with the central Tree of Knowledge standing in the centre. Christ, the New Adam, who has already received the Mother of God, patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, as well as The Good Thief, appears from among the branches of the Tree. The overall scene of this scene of the "Last Judgement", that contains an obvious moral lesson, also appears with some minor differences depending on the size of the area covered by a given representation – while usually maintaining the same configuration – in other UNESCO monuments in the area, namely Probota, Moldovita, Arbore and Voroneț. The "Last Judgment" is an expression of God's boundless mercy toward mankind, and Toma Zugravu wanted to convey this deeply humanistic and encouraging message to future generations. It is the message of a painter whose basic human quality was his generous love for people and whose amazing talent we are discovering with great delight. (N. Buga, after: dr. Teresa Sinigalia. "Mănăstirea Humor", in "Monumente Medievale din Bucovina" [Medieval Monuments in Bucovina] / Teresa Sinigalia, Ovidiu Boldura .—Bucharest: ACS.