"Seeing it is a joyful surprise" wrote the great historian Nicolae Iorga. "It's tall and narrows like a fine casket with holy relics; an architectural jewel which adorns the ancient woods of Bucovina." The church is built mostly of raw, unpolished stone, except for the pillars, which end with buttresses made of polished stone. At the windows, Gothic-style frets have intersected bars. Under the cornice, there are two bands of friezed arcatures. The church is encircled with a stone belt of three alternately woven bands. This belt, a symbol of the Holy Trinity, also contains an allegorical message from the bishop, who lived to see the union of the Romanian-speaking peoples accomplished by Michael the Brave: he urged the coming generations to guide national and faith unity through the Holy Church.