Places

The apsis from Şişeşti, which was once the altar of the church dedicated to "Saints Peter and Paul", was built of oak wood in 1675. The base of the edifice is surrounded by a twisted embossed belt, while wide consoles start from the centre of the walls. Above the twisted belt there are several wooden crosses. The interior walls still show traces of the original painting.

The Butchers' Bastion is one of the seven bastions built about half a millennium ago, as part of the system of fortifications aimed at defending the medieval city of Baia Mare. Each such bastion was entrusted to a guild, and because the butchers 'guild was the most numerous and because this bastion guarded one of the most important entrance gates to the fortress, namely the southern one, it was called the Butchers' Bastion. This tower is also known as the Ammunition Bastion, as for a time, one of its rooms served as a place to store ammunition to protect the fortress from outside attacks. The death of the legendary outlaw Pintea Viteazul is also linked to the Butchers' Bastion. Thus, during the anti-Habsburg uprising of 1703, he was shot right next to the city's Southern Gate. Over time, the tower would undergo several restoration processes, being rebuilt in 2009-2011, as part of an extensive project. Today, the Bastion is on the list of historical monuments of national value and hosts exhibitions and fairs with ethnographic and folklore themes, immersing visitors into the troubled past of this old medieval city.

The Orthodox Church dedicated to "The Assumption of the Virgin Mary" was erected in Baroque-style in 1793, a date that gives the historical monument the status of the oldest place of worship in the city of Baia Sprie. The spacious nave, the semicircular altar and the bell tower with the bulb-shaped coif are some of the elements that make the beautiful church stand out. The interior of the holy edifice surprises through the painting of the vault, which is still partially visible, the vividly ornamented iconostasis and the paintings on the pillars of the holy doors.  *Photo credit: CJCPCT „Liviu Borlan” Maramureș

The "Assumption of the Virgin Mary” church in Copalnic was erected in 1735, with a stone foundation, stone masonry and a wooden superstructure. The medium-sized place of worship has a specific layout, respectively narthex, nave and altar. Over time, the church has undergone several stages of restoration, the most recent taking place between 2011 and 2012. *Photo credit: CJCPCT „Liviu Borlan” Maramureș

The church "Pious Paraschiva" in Cetățele was erected in 1794, being built of stone, with a wooden frame and asbestos roof. Although it has undergone numerous repairs, the church has preserved its layout, namely a porch, narthex, nave and altar. The church shelters extremely valuable icons made in 1754 and 1785, one of them being attributed to the famous painter Ștefan Zugravul.  *Photo credit: CJCPCT „Liviu Borlan” Maramureș

Erected in 1757 as a modest building, the wooden church "Assumption of the Virgin Mary" was moved about 100 years later to its current location. Here, as the population of the village grew, it was necessary to expand the church by adding a porch, steel-lattice and a turret. Also, the nave was enlarged and the altar was rebuilt. The changes made turned the church layout into an atypical one, as it no longer had a detached apsis. 

According to a local legend, the wooden church dedicated to the "Assumption of the Virgin Mary" in Săcălășeni dates from 1442, being rebuilt in the 17th century. However, dendrochronological studies revealed that it was erected on the current site between 1723 and 1725. The edifice surprises by its impressive proportions, but also by the thickness of the beams and the very high bell tower. Inside, visitors can admire murals made in 1865. However, they are in an advanced state of degradation. *Photo credit: CJCPCT „Liviu Borlan” Maramureș, Florin Pop

The wooden church "Pious Paraschiva" in Stejera was erected in 1700 and is a small place of worship with a 13 m high turret and a porch with a front arch, which rests on three of the four original pillars. Inside, the walls are decorated with paintings made in 1843, which were reconstructed in 1848. Today, only a few scenes from the composition of that time can still be admired. *Photo credit: CJCPCT „Liviu Borlan” Maramureș

Dintr-un muzeu care redă viața satului maramureșean, nu putea lipsi simbolul credinței strămoșești. Așadar, vizitatorii se pot reculege într-o biserică de lemn, ridicată în anul 1630 și adusă aici din satul Chechiș, în 1939. Fiind o biserică "în cult", aici se săvârșesc slujbe religioase în fiecare duminică și în zilele de sărbătoare. Biserica poartă hramul Sfântului Mare Mucenic Gheorghe Purtător de Biruință și adăpostește icoane pe lemn din secolul 18, precum și icoane pe sticlă din secolul 19. Odată cu prăznuirea acestui sfânt, Muzeul Satului Baia Mare își deschide porțile pentru vizitatori. Această biserică a fost inclusă de către Centrul Județean pentru Conservarea și Promovarea Culturii Tradiționale "Liviu Borlan" Maramureș în proiectul său Biserici din Țara Chioarului.TururiVirtuale. Troița de lângă biserică a fost sfințită în 2019 și este decorată cu motive tradiționale specifice Maramureșului: funia, copacul vieții, simboluri astrale.

The church from Dealul Corbului dates from 1801, having been relocated to its current location a century later. During the consolidation works carried out in 1987, the exterior walls of the place of worship were plastered, and the shingled roof was replaced and made of galvanized sheet metal. Inside, the edifice was decorated with paintings made during the years 1901-1902. Photo credit: CJCPCT „Liviu Borlan” Maramureș

The wooden church "The Birth of the Virgin Mary" in Lăschia was erected in 1861. It observes the particularities of the wooden churches built on a stone foundation, with a high turret, measuring 32 m from the base. The interior walls were decorated by the painter Paul Weisz from Baia Mare in 1870, while the author of the painting on the iconostasis remains unknown. *Photo credit: CJCPCT „Liviu Borlan” Maramureș

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.

The wooden church "St. Anne" from Coruia dates from 1794 and surprises by its proportions, the high turret, but also the carved ornaments that compliment the entire architecture. The place of worship is the only one in this area with  the turret framed by four other smaller turrets at the base of the coif. The walls are decorated on the outside with a twisted rope belt, while on the inside, the painting made in 1807 has been replaced by another in 1928. *Photo credit: CJCPCT „Liviu Borlan” Maramureș, Florin Pop

The road from Baia Mare to Sighetu Marmaţiei crosses the Gutâi Mountains, passing through the township of Deseşti. On these lands stands one of the most important churches of Maramureş, not far from the sources of the Mara River. Erected in 1717 - according to other sources, in 1770, on the site of an older one, this place of worship was dedicated to the Pious Paraschiva and was painted around 1780 by Radu Munteanu and Alexandru Ponehalschi. The architecture of the building is in line with that of the traditional churches of Maramureș, the harmony of its proportions strengthening the impression of simplicity and elegance, specific to these monuments. The upper beams that support the frame are carved in the shape of a ladder, giving the ensemble a special line. The layout of the place of worship comprises a rectangular main body - which, on the outside, resembles the layout of a hall-type church - which consists of a narthex and a nave, continued by the detached altar. The nave has a semi-cylindrical vault and double eaves. Above the ceilinged narthex rises the bell tower with a sharp coif, the entire architectural ensemble being supported on a stone pedestal. Access to the interior of the building is done through a portal inlaid with geometric and vegetal decorative motifs, but also with the element of the twisted rope, a symbol of Christian unity. The exceptionally well-preserved painting has undergone a complete restoration, giving the monument its original appearance. The iconographic themes of Deseşti are common to all churches with post-Byzantine paintings, but here they can be observed much more easily. The narthex develops the theme of the Last Judgment, and here - but also at Poienile Izei - the moralizing valences of this theme can be easily identified. If in the art of Byzantine tradition of previous centuries the main characters painted in Hell were heretics and persecuting emperors, here we can easily see how the theological valences of the scene diminish, carnal sins prevailing over faith sins. Thus, the one who steals land without respecting the border, the one who steals taking advantage of his job as a miller or merchant, or the one who destroys families, become the main characters in scenes that show us a Hell full of torture tools used in the Middle Ages. The value of the monument lies in its technical construction, in the perfect science of execution and assembly of wooden elements. The architectural harmony and the perfect integration of the wooden decorative elements with the iconographic ones created an ensemble of remarkable simplicity and elegance. 

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.

The wooden church "Saint Nicholas" in Frâncenii Boiului was built in 1752, the original roof covered with dovetail-shaped double shingles being completely rebuilt in 1830. The exterior walls are decorated with an embossed twist, which accompanies other decorations such as strings of grooves, wolf teeth, semi-alveoli and rosettes. The painting inside is completely degraded, traces of which can only be found in the altar. *Photo credit: CJCPCT „Liviu Borlan” Maramureș

The wooden church "St. Nicholas" in Valea Chioarului dates from the 18th century, being originally erected in Recea locality. From there, the church was moved and rebuilt in Valea Chioarului, during which time it underwent some modifications: the walls were plastered and a brick porch was added. The edifice is an example of Baroque style, having a slender turret with a closed steeple and a tiered coif with a bulb at the base. The original iconostasis has been almost entirely preserved, with only the medallions on the right side missing. *Photo credit: CJCPCT „Liviu Borlan” Maramureș

Erected in 1820, the wooden church dedicated to the "Holy Archangels" from Săpâia belongs to the category of small places of worship, with a porch, narthex, nave and detached apsis. The walls are made of solid oak beams, while the frame is covered with round shingles, provided with a slender bell tower. From the interior painting only a few fragments have survived. From a chromatic point of view one can see shades of red, black and yellow.

At the foot of the Gutâi Mountains, at the intersection of the roads that connect the towns of Baia Sprie and Cavnic, there is a beautiful hilly area, surrounded by mountains. Here, the splendor of nature's harmonies is matched only by the monumental wooden church that rises in this depression. Raised above space and time, the 54-meter tower of the church in Şurdeşti gives the feeling of complete peace between people and nature. The church was built in the middle of the 18th century by the master carpenter Macarie, whose name is preserved in a visible inscription today verandah above the porch. Initially, the place of worship had three rooms: a narthex, a nave and an altar. In the 19th century, a spectacular porch with two rows of arches was added (on the ground floor and upstairs), thus obtaining a harmonious decoration for the western part of the building. A carved belt in the shape of a rope surrounds the monument, and the entrance to the narthex is made through a portal, decorated with the same motif of the rope, but also with solar symbols. In the nave there is another unique architectural element: two columns carved in stone, which support the balcony for the choir. The monumentality of the building is underlined by the way the tower is built. To achieve the astonishing height, the carpenters build a structure with a very generous base, which rests on the wooden walls of the church.  The iconographic appearance of the Greek-Catholic Church in Şurdeşti is similar, stylistically and thematically, to that of the Orthodox Church in Plopiş. The altar was also painted by the painter Ştefan, who uses here in a unique way the theme of the council of the twenty-four elders from the Apocalypse. The nave, it seems, was painted by a certain painter named Stan. The style remains Baroque, and the theme of the semi-cylinder completes the history of the end of the world in the vision of Saint John the Evangelist, so well captured in Plopiş. In addition to the common themes, here one will find the theme of "Jacob's Ladder"; supported by the cloud surrounding the icon of the Trinity, the ladder allows angels to ascend and descend, thus mediating between God and man. The sister churches from Plopiş and Şurdeşti prove over time that the confessional difference, which appeared at the beginning of the 18th century in Maramureş, did not change the way of being of the inhabitants and did not bring radical changes in the architecture of the places of worship or in their iconography.

Conform tradiției, biserica de lemn „Sfinții Arhangheli” din Vălenii Şomcutei a fost construită în anul 1741. Aceasta respectă tipologia bisericilor de lemn maramureșene, având pronaos, naos și altar poligonal. Când a fost renovată, în anul 1845, biserica a fost modificată prin adăgarea pridvorului și mutarea accesului inițial. Pictura realizată în interior, în a doua jumătate a secolului al XIX-lea a fost degradată în mare măsură. *Sursă foto: CJCPCT „Liviu Borlan” Maramureș

The wooden church in Vărai is believed to have been erected in 1571 and, although it is part of the architecture specific to the Chioar area, it also has a unique element, namely a porch with a gallery with its own roof truss, above which there is a turret with closed steeple. Also, the wooden church "The Holy Archangels" from Vărai also surprises by the proportions of the 40 m turret, one of the tallest church turrets in the region. The interior painting, made in neo-Byzantine style, was refurbished in 1991. *Photo credit: CJCPCT „Liviu Borlan” Maramureș

The village of Plopiş located in the Cavnic Valley is truly amazing in terms of how man's creativity intertwines with the beauty of the nature. Harmony, elegance and suppleness make the whole area a true temple, whose central point is the wooden church dedicated to the "Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel". The church cemetery can be entered through a gate which opens the path crossing through the tombs of the founders of this monument. In 1789, forty-nine families from the Cavnic Valley (in the current township of Şişeşti) began the construction of a new place of worship, which was consecrated in November 1811. The church in Plopiş, 47 meters high, 17 meters long and 7 meters wide, still stands on the plateau of the village cemetery, giving the feeling that, without it, nature would be incomplete. The edifice, erected on a stone foundation, consists of a porch, narthex, nave and altar. Included in the Maramureș style of construction, the church has, however, some characteristic elements: the upper beams of the walls do not extend into the console, the very narrow eaves confer suppleness to the monument. The ornaments of the porch arches, created with great accuracy, are made of several stepped or round-shaped wooden segments, so joining those using wooden nails solves the technical problems, as well as the artistic aspirations. All of this gives us another testimony of the mastery of the craftsmen from the Cavnic Valley. The iconography is impressive due to the theme chosen by the painter Ştefan, the author of this painting, as well as from Şurdeşti church. The Baroque style of the iconographic ensemble offers the painter the opportunity to develop metaphorical images that plastically illustrate complicated events from the Revelations according to St. John. The entire semi-cylindrical vault of the nave depicts the second coming of Christ, announced by the trumpets of angels. Archangel Michael, patron of the church in Plopiş, appears victorious above the balcony. On the western wall of the nave, Jesus Christ appears in the form of the sun, offering John the Evangelist the text of the Revelations. This whole iconographic ensemble, which speaks of the end of the world, is surrounded by the council of the twenty-four elders in John's vision, painted in the lateral lobes of the only three-lobed vault in Maramureş.   Although small in size, the stunning church in Plopiş shows a great sense of proportion, reason why some researchers consider it to be the most unitary and well-balanced wooden church in Maramureş.

Datând din anul 1800, biserica de lemn „Sfinții Arhangheli Mihail și Gavril” din Buteasa este lăcașul de cult din Maramureș aflat în cea mai avansată stare de degradare. În anul 2019, acoperișul bisericii a cedat, rămânând în picioare doar turnul bisericii și pereții exteriori. Sub dărâmături se mai pot distinge fragmente ale picturii cu care a fost decorat interiorul naosului.   *Sursă foto: CJCPCT „Liviu Borlan” Maramureș, Florin Pop

The wooden church from Codru Butesii dates from the 19th century, reaching its current location after it was initially erected in Copalnic Mănăștur and then relocated to Preluca Nouă. The small edifice was plastered and covered with sheet metal. Inside, the walls were painted in the 20th century by the painter Karpaty J. The wooden turret above the porch houses two bells, while four iron crosses stand on top of the church. *Photo credit: CJCPCT „Liviu Borlan” Maramureș

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. *Sursă foto: CJCPCT „Liviu Borlan” Maramureș, Florin Pop

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.

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.

Biserica de lemn „Sfinții Arhangheli Mihail și Gavril” a fost ridicată inițial în Țara Oașului, în perioada anului 1721. Lăcașul construit din lemn de stejar are dimensiuni modeste, turnul-clopotniță având de asemenea proporții reduse. Din pictura murală care împodobește pereții micuței biserici se mai disting doar fragmente. *Sursă foto: CJCPCT „Liviu Borlan” Maramureș

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.

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. 

The church dedicated to "St. John the Baptist" dates from 1704, when it was erected on the old hearth of the village, being relocated about a century and a half later in its current location. The holy edifice, built of clay and brick, is plastered both inside and outside, having a structure that includes a narthex, nave and polygonal altar. The interior walls are painted with floral motifs and adorned with recently painted icons.