History & Culture Archives - CRIMCA Publishing House

The Icon of the Holy Trinity: History and Canonical Status in Medieval Ecclesiastical Art

Ciurciun Stefanel — Wed, Aug 12, 2026 08:29:13 +0000

The Icon of the Holy Trinity: History and Canonical Status in Medieval Ecclesiastical Art

Author: Rev. Dr. Gabriel Ciofu

Title: The Icon of the Holy Trinity: History and Canonical Status in Medieval Ecclesiastical Art

ISBN: 978-606-734-300-7

Dimensions: 170×250

Number of pages: 606

Year of publication: 2026

Binding type: paperback

Price: 85 lei

This work—„The Icon of the Holy Trinity: History and Canonicity in Medieval Ecclesiastical Art”—is of great value due to its complexity, the subject matter it addresses, and the contribution it makes to research through the fieldwork conducted by its author. We note that the author has a firm grasp of iconographic and theological terminology, which he employs with great skill and expertise. He also draws on an extensive foreign bibliography compiled over several years, featuring numerous eloquent quotations and supplementary information provided in the footnotes. Most of the images of the Holy Trinity used in the work are photographs taken by the author himself in the churches mentioned in Romania and abroad; this informative detail is evidence of the personal effort invested in the preparation of this work. Thus, we appreciate the priest’s passion for researching this topic, his love for beauty in general and church painting in particular, as well as his thorough knowledge of dogmatic theology and church history.

The scholarly merit of this work and its examination of the depiction of the Holy Trinity in medieval Romanian church painting constitute an important scholarly endeavor in a society affected by syncretism, globalism, and secularization. The value of this doctoral dissertation is all the greater given that, in today’s society, the image has been stripped of its sacredness.

In conclusion, we can state with complete certainty that this publication by Father Gabriel Ciofu, Ph.D. in Theology, is a rigorous study of Romanian Orthodox iconography from the medieval period. The entire study yields concrete results in terms of understanding the canonical representation of the Holy Trinity in church painting. Furthermore, the work stands out as an innovative contribution through its case study The Image of the Holy Trinity, for theological research, as the originality of the topic is evident.

The scope of the work was very extensive, and the author demonstrated genuine expertise in understanding historical events, biblical theology, and dogmatic theology. The bibliography is extensive, the footnotes lend the work the scholarly rigor required at this academic level, and the presentation is concise and comprehensive. This deeply interdisciplinary research can serve as a benchmark for future scholarly endeavors, as well as a support for the Church’s pastoral mission by promoting the role of iconography in contemporary society, which has become desacralized and inclined toward the „ugly.”.

We enthusiastically welcome the publication of this work—which we hope will become a standard reference—in the academic and scholarly fields of art history, church history, dogmatic theology, and the pursuit of beauty and truth. Well done!

Rev. Prof. Dr. Habil. Constantin Claudiu Cotan

Articolul Icoana Sfintei Treimi. Istorie și canonicitate în Arta Bisericească medievală apare prima dată în Editura CRIMCA.

Eternities from the Land of the Musatins, crafted in wood, stone, and color / Eternities from the Musatinian Land wrought in wood, stone, and color

Ciurciun Stefanel — Thu, July 23, 2026 12:32:55 +0000

Archimandrite Dosoftei Dijmărescu, Father Gabriel Herea, Father Constantin-Ciprian Blaga (eds.)

Format: 240×330

Number of pages: 580

Year of publication: 2026

Cover type: hardback

„Right from the title, the book offers a unique perspective on church heritage. The authors do not discuss „the eternal ones” and not just about historical monuments. The choice of this term is very inspired, as it shifts the focus from the purely architectural dimension to the spiritual one. The churches and monasteries of Bukovina are presented as true spaces where unceasing prayer, the memory of the founders, and liturgical life give continuity to history.

The book makes an impression right from the start with its sheer scope. The 580 pages bring together 38 studies dedicated to the monasteries, churches, and historical monuments within the Archdiocese of Suceava and Rădăuți. Each monument is presented in detail, based on historical, architectural, artistic, and theological research, and the extensive photographic material compiled by Mr. Petru Palamar turns reading into a true visual experience.

This work is not the result of a single author’s effort, but rather the fruit of collaboration among an impressive group of specialists from universities and research institutes in Romania, the Republic of Moldova, Poland, and the United States of America. Historians, art historians, architects, archaeologists, and theologians have pooled their expertise to provide an up-to-date overview of the ecclesiastical heritage of Bukovina. This diversity of perspectives gives the volume an interdisciplinary character and establishes it as one of the most comprehensive syntheses dedicated to the ecclesiastical heritage of northern Moldova.

As the reader goes through the studies in this volume, they essentially trace the history of all of medieval Moldavia. The narrative begins with the Bogdana Monastery in Rădăuți, the first voivodal necropolis, continues with the Mirăuți Church and the establishment of the Metropolis of Moldavia, then with the extraordinary era of Saint Stephen the Great, during which architecture, painting, and liturgical life reached an unprecedented level of development.

The book then traces the evolution of the Moldavian style during the reign of Petru Rareș, the emergence of monumental exterior painting, the charitable endowments of the Movilești family, and the originality of Dragomirna Monastery, before going on to describe the trials faced by the ecclesiastical heritage following the annexation of Bukovina to the Habsburg Empire and the restoration efforts carried out up to the modern era, culminating in the inclusion of the painted churches on the UNESCO World Heritage List.”.

Articolul Veșnicii din Țara Mușatinilor ctitorite în lemn, piatră și culoare / Eternities from the Musatinian Land wrought in wood, stone and colour apare prima dată în Editura CRIMCA.

Bucovina Church Fund (1783-1949)

Ciurciun Stefanel — Wed, Apr 29, 2026 10:37:31 +0000

Author: Pr. Sorin-Toader Clipa

Format: 160 x 240

Number of pages: 1010

Year of publication: 2026

Cover type: brochure

ISBN: 978-606-734-298-7

Dr. Sorin-Toader Clipa, in his doctoral thesis

entitled The Church Fund of Bucovina (1783-1949), we

provides a wealth of historical, confessional, cultural and social information,

gathered from credible original sources, both national and

from international archives on the formation of the Church Fund,

its administration, its periods of glory and fall, as well as

and about his tragic destiny up to the present day.

Prof. Prof. Dr. Mihai Valică

Articolul Fondul Bisericesc din Bucovina (1783-1949) apare prima dată în Editura CRIMCA.