The safe havens. How Romanticism painters depicted European monasteries

The history of Christian monasticism has a long tradition across Europe. Many men and women throughout the centuries, at some point in their lives, did join the monasteries. Their motifs were different — some were driven by personal tragedy or an oath given to God, while others looked to enjoy the ascetic and temptation-free lifestyle in the monastery.

Nowadays, monastic tradition is not that popular anymore, and the perception towards religion has changed dramatically. Especially, in the Western Christianity. Many people might wrongly associate monks and nuns with just quiet life in prayers. It is just a partially true assumption.

Over the course of several centuries, monasteries around Europe played an important part in the social life of the common people. Many monasteries and religious orders were active in farming, literature, feeding the poor, and providing healthcare.

To join a monastery was a chance to not only serve God with daily prayers and an ascetic lifestyle but also to become well-educated and develop a set of various crafts. Many monks were experts in art, sciences, medicine, and even in such crafts, such as winemaking and brewing of beer. This post will look into the depiction of monasteries by the talented European artists of the past.

Karl Friedrich Lessing — Romantic Landscape With Monastery (1834)

Born in Silesia, Lessing drew a lot of inspiration from the works of the iconic works by the German Romantic painter Caspar David Friedrich.

He was working a lot on the idyllic landscape paintings that also featured various ruins, chapels, and monasteries. In this painting, Lessing depicts a monk walking in a forest, accompanied by the altar server. The background presents a view of a mountainous landscape and a beautiful view of a monastery.

Franz Ludwig Catel — Monks In a Monastery Courtyard (1856)

The German painter was known for his genre works that often featured detailed depictions of nature scenery.

In this painting, Catel depicted two monks in a monastery that is located nearby a sea. You can see the waves hitting the rocks behind their backs. It is fair to assume that this is one of the Italian monasteries since Catel spent most of his life in Italy.

This artwork has a mixed atmosphere — it is not that easy to understand the mood the painter wanted to present. The force of nature adds some dramatics, while monks seem pretty much relaxed and used to it.

Albert Bredow — Monastery Garden in the Snow (1899)

Albert Bredow — Procession at a Snowy Monastery (1887)

The German-Russian painter brought the everyday life motifs of the monastery. Both scenes are done in a very calming manner, featuring light and smoothly changing color tones.

One painting depicts monks working during the winter, while the other one shows monks leading the procession. However, both artworks focus on the massive elements of architecture and nature. The monks are just a small but organic detail. During his career, Bredow lived in the Russian Empire, working as a scenic designer in theaters and operas, and eventually, he died there in 1899.

Jørgen Roed — Cloister of San Lorenzo (1837)

Very atmospheric work by the Danish painter, who is associated with the Golden Age of Danish painting. He was known for his genre and landscape scenes. Most of his works featured landscapes and scenes from the Danish countryside and towns. This artwork was done during Roed’s stay in Italy, where he lived for four years.

The Danish painter depicted a typical Southern European monastery, featuring a monk who is looking at the garden. It is a nicely done painting, with great detail. It was done with light and precise brushstrokes.

Caspar David Friedrich — Ruins In Oybin

Friedrich was one of the fathers of Romanticism painting. His works featured a lot of symbolism and religious motifs that were connected with nature. Many of his artworks represented the topic of life and death. This one is no exception.

Three windows represent the Holy Trinity. The crucifix on the left is now covered with green tendrils, symbolizing the new life or resurrection. Overall, the monastery might have been turned into ruins, but life is still there. It is a typical symbolism of Friedrich’s works. Death is just a natural process, and the German painter used nature and architecture to portray it in his way.

Robert Russ — Bridge Nearby The Hermitage Of San Romedio (1893)

A well-detailed painting by the Austrian painter depicts a fantastic landscape of the Non Valley in Italy. You can see the monastery building, proudly standing on the top of the mountain, surrounded by rocks.

A lone wanderer with a horse is standing on the road and looking at the procession that is heading towards the San Remedio hermitage. Russ put all the focus on the amazing Italian landscape, but the depiction of the procession is a nice addition.

It could be a symbolic feature that represents the human’s (procession) rocky path towards God (monastery). From all the paintings Russ did in his lifetime, this might be the most detailed and scrupulously done.

Isaac Levitan — Evening Bells (1892)

Isaac Levitan — A Quiet Monastery

Levitan marked his place in art history as one of the greatest Russian landscape painters. In this painting, Levitan depicts the vision of two monasteries that he saw in one of his journeys around Russia — Savvino-Storozhevsky and Krivoozersky monasteries.

In reality, both of these monasteries are located in different places, but the Russian painter decided to depict them in a single painting. The overall picture brings a calming atmosphere. An evening scene, monasteries in a sunset nearby a river, and a boat that slowly floats in an unknown direction.

Levitan also depicted similar scenery in one of his other works, named A Quiet Monastery. It features both of these monasteries but from a different angle. In comparison to the Evening Bells, this painting has a more detailed depiction of nature, especially when it comes to the water reflections, plants, and trees.

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