The wooden church "The birth of the Virgin Mary" from Ieud Deal
The wooden church "The birth of the Virgin Mary" from Ieud Deal

The wooden church "The birth of the Virgin Mary" from Ieud Deal

Biserica de lemn Obiective turistice

Ieud, Romania

Map

About

The ancient hearth of human habitation, Iza Valley, is home to several villages whose history is lost in the mists of time. The village of Ieud was part of the domain of Bogdan from Cuhea, the legendary Maramureș voivode who, by conquering the lands east of the Carpathians and declaring independence from the Kingdom of Hungary, later became the founding Prince of Moldavia. According to legend, the Church of Ieud Deal, dedicated to the Birth of the Virgin Mary, was erected in the second half of the 14th century, but recent research dates it to the beginning of the 17th century. Built of fir wood, the monument is a testament, centuries later, of the mastery of carpenters in this region.

The layout of the church was adapted to the needs of the Orthodox Christian cult, being composed of three rooms: narthex, nave and altar.

The access inside the place of worship is made from the west, through a portal without decoration, recurrent at the entrance to the nave. Natural light penetrates the monument through small pentagonal windows. With only four pentagonal openings, the narthex is dark. The nave, however, enjoys more sunlight, coming from its twelve windows, six placed on each side: three at the lower level and three at the upper one.

Above the narthex rises the famous Maramureș bell tower. Unique architectural solution for wooden constructions, the steeple supports a turret covered by a square-shaped coif with a square base, which points to the sky, defying the law of gravity, reminiscent of the audacious forms of European Gothic.

The mural painting and the icons dating back to the 18th century give a special value to this monument. The church was painted in 1782 by Alexandru Ponehalschi, one of the most important representatives of the post-Byzantine current in Maramureş at that time. An original element of the Maramureș iconography is represented by the scenes in the nave of this place of worship, which capture the themes of conversion and baptism. It is about the baptism by Deacon Philip of a great Ethiopian ruler and the conversion of the Holy Apostle Paul.

A true temple of the ancestral faith and culture, the church in Ieud preserved among its beams one of the oldest manuscripts in Romanian, also known as the "Codex of Ieud". The manuscript currently enriches the collection of the library of the Romanian Academy with its pages, full of spirituality and history.

*Photo credit: CJCPCT „Liviu Borlan” Maramureș, Rada Pavel

Statut

Patrimoniu UNESCO

Photo Gallery

Similar Suggestions

Biserica de zid Obiective turistice

The Roman-Catholic Church "St. Varvara" from Cavnic

Although its construction began in 1800, the "St. Varvara" church was completed only in 1812. Its decoration was carried out almost a century later, the painting of the interior walls dating from 1909. The edifice stands out through the 34 m high turret, but also by the fact that the altar and the pulpit were carved in massive salt. The patron saint of this church was not chosen by chance, St. Varvara being the protector of the miners, but also of prisoners, geologists and architects. 
Strada Eliberării 57, Cavnic 435300, Romania
Biserica de zid Obiective turistice

The Reformed Church in Berchez

The Reformed Church in Berchez surprises by the antiquity of the foundation on which it was built, which is dated around the 15th century. Over time, the edifice has undergone several stages of rehabilitation, the current nave being erected in 1804. The church shelters an impressive pipe organ, built in 1904.
DJ182B, Berchez 437231, Romania
Biserica de lemn Obiective turistice

The wooden church "The Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel" from Remetea Chioarului

Erected in the 18th century, the wooden church from Remetea Chioarului originally had the name "St. Nicholas". Architecturally, the church has a rectangular layout, a detached, pentagonal altar apsis and a two-sided roof. The turret has a square layout, a mid-level and a console-type balcony. Visitors can admire the vegetal motifs painted on the interior walls, which still bear traces of the original painting.
DJ182B 127, Remetea Chioarului 437230, Romania
Biserica de lemn Obiective turistice

Biserica de lemn „Sfinții Arhangheli Mihail și Gavril” din Culcea

Ridicată în anul 1720 pe un deal din partea de vest a satului, Biserica de lemn „Sfinții Arhangheli Mihail şi Gavril” din Culcea este constituită din pridvor, pronaos, naos și altar poligonal. Acoperișul este șindreluit, iar turnul cu turla conică este amplasat deasupra pronaosului. Din păcate pictura interioară se află într-o stare de degradare avansată, motiv pentru care nu poate fi restaurată.
Culcea, Romania
Biserica de lemn Obiective turistice

The wooden church "Saint Nicholas" from Cornești

The wooden church "Saint Nicholas" from Cornești dates from 1615, yet dendrochronological research has revealed that the altar was built a century later. It is a classic Maramureș church, first of all because of the two skirts of the roof. The interior is decorated with canvas paintings plastered on wooden walls.
Cornești, Romania
Biserica de lemn Obiective turistice

The wooden church "Saint Nicholas" from Boiereni

The wooden church "Saint Nicholas" dates from the 18th century. The monograph of the Lăpuș Archdiocese records the fact that the church was offered as a gift to the faithful people living in Boiereni by those from Suciu de Jos, in 1882. The oak edifice is modest in size, being covered with shingles, and the turret with galvanized sheet metal. Inside, the original painting has been preserved on the vault, in the nave and altar.
Boiereni 435601, Romania
Biserica de lemn Obiective turistice

The wooden church "St. Elijah" from Posta

The wooden church "St. Elijah" in Posta dates from 1675 and is part of the typology of Maramureș churches by its harmonious proportions. Four oak pillars support the porch, while the roof highlights the turret, which is 30 m high. The crosses on top of the turrets are also adorned with the crescent moon symbol, which evokes the Turkish influence. Inside, on the vault, visitors can admire several scenes from the painting made in 1781. The holy doors of the church, adorned with floral motifs, are also of particular beauty.
Posta, Romania
Biserica de lemn Obiective turistice

The wooden church "The birth of the Blessed Virgin" from Remecioara

Erected in the 19th century, the wooden church "The birth of the Blessed Virgin" has undergone several restoration processes, being covered in shingles and renovated on the outside in 2001. The church turret is only 12 m high, being provided with a closed steeple, above which rises a pyramidal coif with a cross at the top. The interior painting was made in 1862 by the painter Paul Weisz from Baia Mare, being preserved in good condition.
Remecioara 437234, Romania
Biserica de lemn Obiective turistice

The wooden church "The birth of the Virgin Mary" from Călinești Căieni

The wooden church "The birth of the Virgin Mary" from Călinești Căieni was made in 1663 from oak wood and later on, in the 19th century, was extended using fir wood. The interior of the church stands out through the set of murals made by Alexandru Ponehalschi.
Călinești 437075, Romania