Home Places The wooden church "The Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel" from Rogoz

The wooden church "The Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel" from Rogoz

282, Rogoz 435611, Romania

About

Located right in the heart of Lăpuş Country, Rogoz village boasts one of the most beautiful wooden churches in Maramureş. It was erected in 1663, on the site of a church burned by the Tartars during their invasion in 1661 and legend says that it was built from two huge pieces of woods brought from Popii Hill. The church dedicated to the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel is, in general, part of the architecture specific to this region.

Unlike other churches, the Rogoz place of worship stands out through its harmonious asymmetry. The roof, on one level, is much lower in the northern part of the building, providing protection for a table designed to commemorate the dead. The monumental table consists of two beams and is delimited by segments, intended for various families, whose names are inscribed on the north wall of the church. These families respect the tradition and, every year, on Holy Thursday, they bring "dishes", leaving them on the table overnight, so that on the Friday of the Crucifixion of Christ be given to the poor.

The harmonious architectural lines gracefully blend with the unique decorative elements. In addition to the interesting three-ring coif, located above the steeple’s turret we find in Rogoz a beautiful entrance portal to the narthex and a twisted rope, broken by a solar symbol, which runs along the entire south wall.

Unique in Maramureş are, however, the ends of the beams that support the roof, carved in the shape of stylized horses. Those on the southern façade are considered, in the village, to be carriers of the Sun on the celestial vault, and those on the north side are considered carriers of the Sun at night, in the realm of the dead. The altar is provided with a circular window to the east, through which, between August 1-15, the sun's rays penetrate and illuminate the table of the Holy Altar for 30 minutes. This characteristic individualizes it, placing it next to other monuments in the history of art, which direct the sun's rays towards important symbolic elements.

The monument outstands through the painting executed in 1785 by the painters Radu Munteanu and Nicolae Man. The iconographic appearance is close to the one in Deseşti and is very well preserved. It is interesting to follow one element from the Last Judgment, which is painted in the narthex, namely: the road to Heaven, on which the soul travels, accompanied by an angel. The theme is inspired by a folk belief that speaks of the trials that men go through after death in order to reach God. The church and the people of Rogoz village quickly introduce you into a fairytale world, where the natural and the supernatural seem to blend effortlessly.

Statut

Patrimoniu UNESCO

Photo Gallery

Similar Suggestions

Biserica de lemn Obiective turistice

The wooden church "The Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel" from Boiereni

According to the Monograph of the Lăpuș Archdiocese, the wooden church "The Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel" was built between 1735-1738 and moved from Suciu de Jos to the village of Boiereni, in 1810. With medium dimensions, the edifice consists of a narthex, nave and altar, distinguishing itself by the short turret, covered in shingles at the top. The pyramid-shaped spire is covered with sheet metal and supported by eight pillars. The interior of the church is plastered. The painting can only be seen on the royal and deacon doors. *Photo credit: CJCPCT „Liviu Borlan” Maramureș, Florin Pop

Boiereni 435601, Romania

Biserica de lemn Obiective turistice

The wooden church "Saint Nicholas" from Costeni

Built in 1870 by the craftsmen Petruț Ioan and Petruț Grigore from Măgoaja, the wooden church "Saint Nicholas" from Costeni has a classical layout, with a porch on the west side, a narthex, a nave and a polygonal altar. The edifice is one of the largest of its kind, with a four-sided roof, a high bell tower with four smaller turrets and a pyramid-shaped coif. On the outside, the walls are decorated at the entrance portal, while inside they are whitewashed in light blue. In 2017, following a powerful storm, the church's spire collapsed. In 2020 the place began to undergo an extensive refurbishment process.

Costeni 437131, Romania

Biserica de lemn Obiective turistice

The wooden church "The Holy Emperors" from Aspra

Dating from 1892, the "Holy Emperors" church in Aspra was built of unadorned round wood. The exterior walls are covered in clay and painted in an area-specific shade of blue. Also reminiscent of the area is the layout of the edifice, which brings to mind the houses in Lăpuș County. The interior walls were whitewashed, with only the vault, the iconostasis and the balcony railing being decorated with paintings.

Biserica de lemn Obiective turistice

The wooden church "Pious Paraschiva" from Valea Stejarului

Built of oak wood in the 17th century, the "Pious Paraschiva" wooden church from Valea Stejarului is, due to its proportions, a classic Maramureș church. Inside, the paintings specific to Byzantine iconography, made on canvas, are preserved only in a small part. However, inside the building there are several valuable objects, such as: icons, ritual books, the triptych or the medallions on the royal doors. Photo credit: CJCPCT „Liviu Borlan” Maramureș, Rada Pavel

Valea Stejarului, Romania

Biserica de lemn Obiective turistice

The wooden church "The Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel" from Strâmtura

Erected in the 17th century, the wooden church "The Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel" was relocated to Strâmtura in 1661 from the Rozavlea monastery. The altar, the vault and the iconostasis have been preserved in their original form, while the interior painting dates from 1775. The place houses valuable objects such as "The Homiliary of Varlaam" and glass icons made in the 18th and 19th centuries. *Photo credit: CJCPCT „Liviu Borlan” Maramureș, Timur Chiș

Strâmtura, Romania

Biserica de lemn Obiective turistice

The wooden church "Assumption of the Virgin Mary" from Șieu

The wooden church dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary from Șieu dates from around 1717-1720, but it underwent several restoration stages in the middle of the 18th century, in the first half of the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century. Some elements from the original construction have been preserved: the structure of the walls at the bottom, the old altarpieces, the openings in the interior consoles, fragments of a shutter window, the entrance to the porch and narthex, but also some old royal icons.

DJ171A 103, Șieu 437320, Romania

Biserica de lemn Obiective turistice

Closed

The wooden church from the Maramureș Village Museum in Sighetu Marmației

The oldest building that enriches the patrimony of the Maramureș Village Museum is the church, relocated here from Oncești, where it had been brought from the village of Criciova, on the right bank of the Tisza River. The archaic features of the building are highlighted by small windows, the joined two-level structure and the presence of a royal and a deacon's door. The 16th century wall paintings were restored in 1802.

Strada Muzeului 1, Sighetu Marmației 435500, Romania

Biserica de lemn Obiective turistice

The wooden church "Pious Paraschiva" from Sat Șugatag

The "Pious Paraschiva" wooden church in the village of Șugatag was built of oak wood and dates from 1698-1699. The proportions of the ensemble, the double-skirted roof above the narthex and nave and with single eaves above the altar, the tower with the turret protruding from the basic profile and an elongated coif with eight sides are just a few elements that include this place of worship in the typology of Maramureș wooden churches. The exterior walls are decorated with the motif of the rope, while inside only fragments of the painting that adorns the walls can still be seen.

DN18 86, Sat-Șugatag 437208, Romania

Biserica de lemn Obiective turistice

The wooden church "Pious Paraschiva" from Sârbi Susani

Made of oak wood around 1639, the "Pios Paraschiva" wooden church from Sârbi Susani reveals through the shape of the roof and the passage to the sacred part, some of the most archaic features found in the Romanian sacred wooden architecture. The entrance portal, which is believed to evoke a Byzantine calendar, has survived, offering invaluable value to the church. *Photo credit: CJCPCT „Liviu Borlan” Maramureș, Rada Pavel

Sârbi, Romania