In anul 1503 Luca Arbore - Portar al Sucevei - isi inalta cu ajutorul domnului sau o biserica in satul ce-i poarta azi numele. Constructia a fost inceputa in a doua zi a lunii aprilie si a fost terminata in acelasi an, pe 29 august. Biserica poarta placa comemorativa dedicata Sfantului Ioan Botezatorul. Conceputa si construita intr-o forma simpla, pornind de la ideea unei biserici de tip longitudinal, te uimeste prin marea sa stilizare. Prelungirile zidurilor laterale legate printr-un lat arc semicircular, delimiteaza in exterior, pe fatada apuseana, o mare nisa, destinata, se pare, lacasului clopotelor.

Mesterii lui Arbore au realizat pereti drepti, cu imense suprafete netede, au introdus calote in naos si pronaos eliminind semicilindrul initial. Arcadele joase, fara spirale, pantele si sistemul de arce modovenesti, toate confera bisericii proportii elegante, dovedind o constructie de o mare valoare. La scurt timp dupa terminarea lucrarilor de la Arbore, la 8 septembrie, aceiasi mesteri au ridicat si la Reuseni pe locul unde se spune ca a fost taiat capul lui Bogdan Voievod - ultima ctitorie a lui Stefan cel Mare - aidoma bisericii de la Arbore. Dupa 38 de ani de la ridicarea bisericii Arbore, la initiativa Anei - sora lui Arbore - mai precis in anul 1541, se va realiza ansamblul de pictura interioara si exterioara. Ceea ce impresioneaza in mod deosebit in pictura bisericii este calitatea ei decorativa, coloritul cald si luminos, ritmul si eleganta extrema a siluetelor. Intreaga pictura emana un aer de sinceritate, fiind unul dintre cele mai laice fenomene din arta medievala moldovenesca. Autorul principal al picturii - Dragos Coman - din Iasi, nu este un cleric, ci un exponent al lumii laice. Si iata ca acest lucru se vede prin spontaneitatea picturii, prin transparenta culorii, aidoma unei acuarele, in constructia siluetelor care au uneori gesturi si atitudini necanonice.

In 1523 "in luna lui aprilie, in cetatea Hârlaului, Stefan Voda [Stefanita Voda] au taiat pre Arburie hatmanul, pe carile zic sa-l fi aflat cu hiclenie" (Grigore Ureche).Asa a sfârsit Luca Arbore, unul dintre marii boieri ai lui Stefan cel Mare, sfetnicul de seama a lui Bogdan al III-lea, tutorele lui Stefanita Voda

Nu putem sa nu remarcam tema din interiorul bisericii Cavalcada imparatului Constantin zugravita la vedere, pe peretele de vest al pronaosului, si Marea rugaciune de la abside. Zugravul de la Arbore, ingenios, a mai adaugat pe fatada de sud o noua Rugaciune . A plasat aceasta rugaciune in dreapta usii spre a face, in mod simbolic - pandant scenei Asediului pictata in stinga usii. Printre sfintii zugraviti figureaza Ioan cel Nou, iar in fruntea lor, caz unic in iconografia bizantina, imparatii Constantin si Elena, considerati, dupa cum se stie, inca din veacul al - XV - lea, printre marii protectori ai Moldovei.

 Situated at 30 km from Suceava, Arbore Monastery was built between the 2nd of April and the 29th of August 1503, by Luca Arbore, one of Stephen the Greats generals, in the village of Soloca, that he owned. The monument has been consecrated to the Beheading of Saint John the Baptist.
Having a rectangular plan, the church has walls made of raw stone and vaults made of brick. Smaller than other painted churches, Arbore has a gloomy narthex and a nave with large windows. There is no steeple, as it was built by a landowner, and not by a ruling prince.
It has remarkable fresco exterior and interior paintings against a predominant green background, unlike Voronet, where blue predominates. The green is in five shadows and 47 hues combined with red, blue, yellow, pink and ochre. The secret of combining colours was kept by Moldavian master painters to their grave, and is now lost in the mist of time. However, scientists were able to identify thirty substances, including animal size, vinegar, egg, gall and honey. Restorers cannot hope to duplicate the paint: they can only stabilize what has been left of the frescoes.
The paintings were made by a team led by Dragos Coman from Iasi. Most of them represent scenes taken from the Genesis and the Saints� lives. They are delicate and vivid, whereas houses are drawn in perspective. The best preserved frescoes are found on the relatively sheltered south and west walls. Among the most valuable scenes one may see are The Hymn of the Prayers to the Virgin, The Siege of Constantinople, The Last Judgement, The Prodigal Son and many others. The Siege of Constantinople is a syncretic representation of the attacks of Persians, Avars and Slaves upon Constantinople in 617.
The two heavy slabs of stone preserved near the church since the time it was painted have fifteen small holes which used to serve as containers for the mixing of colours, thus providing the large display of shades used by Moldavian painters.
In the narthex one may find the tombs of the church founders, i.e. Luca Arbore and his wife, Iuliana.
Inside the monastery, an ethnographic museum with a rich display of the region's most valuable assets is worth visiting.
The monastery was restored between 1909-1914 and 1936-1937, and is a UNESCO protected site.