The Painted Eggs of Lucia Condrea

Lucia Condrea Art (Arta Condrea)

In the small, peaceful town of Moldovita, a monastery with painted frescoes on its outer walls remains as vibrant as it was in the 16th century. It is one of eight monasteries in the Bucovina area designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s no wonder that artists like Lucia Condrea have flourished in these parts when the source of inspiration to paint and create beautiful things are in their neighborhood.

Lucia Condrea has decorated eggs for decades and has won many awards for her artistry. At the International Painted Egg Museum that she established in Moldovita, there are at least 15,000 of these precious eggs. Over the years, Condrea’s technique has evolved into fourteen artistic styles for egg ornamentation. They are: relief colored wax, graphics from batik technique in black and white, lacery, antique works, abstract painting, old Hutul sewing patterns using wax and natural colors, chromatic diversification, cubism in 3D, patterns from old carpets, patterns influenced by sculptural pieces, zoomorphic patterns, traditional patterns, decorative textile patterns and crocheted patterns. Below are a few examples of her artistic techniques.

Patterns from carpets, wall hangings and old blankets

Lace patterns

Traditional Patterns

Chromatic Diversification

Graphics in black and white

Old Hutul sewing/embroidery patterns*

The Hutuli are an ethnic group of East Slavic origin. They mostly inhabit the northern region of Romania particularly Bucovina and Maramures and in the western Ukraine region where they are called Hutsuls. Both Hutuli and Hutsuls are known for their colorful and intricately designed clothing and for egg decorating.

*Image courtesy of Nicolas Experience Tours

Upstairs Gallery

Upstairs gallery

Shelves of materials and mementos provide inspiration for the ornamentation of painted eggs.

Process of decorating an Easter egg

The tradition of decorating eggs is an essential element of Easter celebrations in Romanian culture. Nowhere is this tradition more alive than in Bucovina, the home of the painted monasteries. Bucovina artisans and households have special techniques for egg painting. The ornamentation of the egg can speak volumes as color, lines, patterns and styles have meaning.

Painted Eggs Collection of Condrea from around the world

Russia and Siberia

Germany and Portugal

Argentina and Latvia

Hungary (black and white painted egg)

Museum and park

How to get there:

Strada Stadionului, 87

Moldovita

Check rome2rio.com for different options to travel to Moldovita in northern Romania. There’s a small entry fee to the museum.

I went on a private tour with Nicolas Experience Tours and we visited several UNESCO World Heritage monasteries in Bucovina including Moldovita. This was a tour I arranged which started in Romania and continued on to Ukraine and Moldova. It is the best way to travel if you want to cover several countries and sites. It’s more economical when you can share the cost with family or friends and you can also customize your own itinerary. So don’t hesitate to inquire for rates. You can check out the tours here: https://experience-tours.ro/

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Images by TravelswithCharie

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