The Altar at Biertan
I was alone in the church, except for my guide, Daniel, (http://felixromania.com/) and a local woman who was preparing for the coming Easter services. The huge nave with it’s lacy beams crisscrossing overhead, the dim light trickling in from the tall, narrow windows, the silence and the chilled air took me back in time to the days when people sought refuge here, both spiritual and physical.
The facts that Daniel had told me before we entered colored my thoughts and I could imagine men wearing high boots and rough sheepskin coats and women in homespun dresses, their heads swathed in nun-like wimples kneeling in the pews. Perhaps there would be some velvet gowns or frock coats worn by the wealthier families. No matter their dress, I am sure their prayers were similar, for good health, good harvest, a husband, a baby…the same things we pray for.
The Holy Family, Altar Painting in Biertan Church
This is one of the paintings of the Polyptich. The expressions on the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus are lovely.
The light in the church was dim and using aperture or shutter speed priority wasn’t working for me. I could have gone to manual and after many tries gotten the light I wanted, but I usually try Nikon’s Program, the completely automatic method normally used for street photography, first. I’ve found that Program will get the light perfectly, but I must have my camera stabilized with a tripod. I braced the camera against a pew here and it worked. Maybe my altar piece is a bit out of focus, but I blame my eyesight…I can’t always tell from looking at my LCD screen if the focus is correct.
Papanash
And now: The Papanash! We ate this dessert in a restaurant in the village of Biertan. I’d never eaten it before and it was love at first bite. A dumpling or doughnut made with a sweet cheese in the center, set on a pool of sweet/tart blueberry jam and covered with a very slightly sour cream and powdered sugar. The restaurant in Biertan served three papanash per person. They looked as if they had been made by a loving grandmother. No matter how many delicious versions of papanash I ate at other restuarants these remained my favorite.
The photo is of some papanash I ate at La Mama cafe in old town Bucharest. I didn’t take a shot of the ones at Biertan! I was too busy eating.