Wooden Churches of Maramures - Romania

I've just realized that I haven't posted a card from Romania since... 2018!! This means I didn't get cards from there in the last 5 years. It was about time to finally get one again. The multiview cards with 6 Wooden Churches of Maramures is my official card #1900. 

 

Maramureș is perhaps one of the most authentic regions in Romania, filled with a rich historical heritage, especially when it comes to traditional crafts.

 

RO-208148, sent by Calin.

The building of wooden churches began in the 16th century when the Catholic Austro-Hungarian authorities prohibited the construction of Orthodox stone churches in the area. Initially, there were over 300 wooden churches built in the region, but today only around 100 are left standing. Most of them are Orthodox, but there are also some Greek-Catholic churches, and they greatly vary in terms of architectural style.

The wooden churches are built with high timber, and their most characteristic features are the tall and slim bell towers located at the western end of the building, as well as their massive roof that makes the whole main body look minuscule. 

Out of the approximately 100 wooden churches, 8 of them were included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Romania: the wooden church of Barsana, the Budesti Josani church, the wooden church of Desesti, the Ieud Hill church, the wooden church of Plopis, the Poienile Izei church, the Rogoz church and the Surdesti church. 

Officially known as the Church of the Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple, this wooden church was built in 1720 and it got the name of Bârsana from the commune that it is located in. The church features some of the most representative baroque indoor murals, its walls depicting various scenes from the Apocalypse or the Last Judgement. 

First mentioned in documents from 1326, the wooden church is one of the tallest wooden churches in Romania with 57 m height, and has been built alongside other churches by craftsmen from Maramures.

Despite being built in 1720, the church was moved on the nearby Jbar Hill in 1806. According to a legend, this hill served as a graveyard for plague victims, and the dead were buried in a rush, without proper religious ceremony. Thus, in order to calm the spirits, the locals decided to move the church on the burying grounds.  in: https://rolandia.eu