Wooden Churches of Maramureș

[Carpatz]

The Wooden churches of Maramureș in the Maramureș region of northern Transylvania are a group of almost one hundred Orthodox and Greek-Catholic churches, of different architectural solutions from different periods and areas. The Maramureș churches are high timber constructions with characteristic tall, slim bell towers at the western end of the building. They are a particular vernacular expression of the cultural landscape of this mountainous area of northern Romania.

The wooden churches of the region that still stand were built starting from the 17th century all the way to 19th century. Some were erected on the place of older churches. They were a response to the prohibition against the erection of stone Orthodox churches by the Catholic Austro-Hungarian authorities. The churches are made of thick logs, some are quite small and dark inside but several of them have impressive measures. They are painted with Biblical scenes, mostly by local painters. The most characteristic features are the tall tower above the entrance and the massive roof that seems to dwarf the main body of the church.

The historical Romanian region of Maramureș, partitioned between Romania and Sub-Carpathian Ukraine after the Second World War, is one of the places where traditional log building was not interrupted and where a rich heritage in wood survives. The tradition of building wooden churches in Maramureș can be traced from the beginning of the 16th century to the turn of the 18th century.

In Maramureș today almost 100 wooden churches still stand, about one third of their total two centuries ago. Besides the extant wooden churches, a major source of knowledge is still saved by a number of practicing senior carpenters with relevant knowledge and skills in traditional carpentry.

From the Middle Ages until the turn of the 18th century the skills, knowledge and experience to build ample log structures with plane and well sealed walls, as well as with flush joints, were performances out of the ordinary. The craftsmen from Maramureș who were able to reach such levels were not simple peasants but well specialized church carpenters who inherited and maintained this advanced knowledge to exclusively build houses of worship.

With the resurgence of church construction after the Romanian Revolution of 1989, there are new churches built in the traditional style.

[Dna8]

Very nice.

[Zzzzz]

They are stunning, although I've seen only replicas in the outdoor museum in Bucharest. I was fascinated by the shape of the roof tiles - they resemble pine cones But I plan to see some original buildings in future.

[Mens-Sarda]

Impressive. I suspect that the cone-shaped roofs are made like that because in that place during winter there are tons of snow. If you build a less sloped roof it would probably collapse because of the snow weight.

[Carpatz]

bump

[Dacul]

Put moar pictures .
Really like wooden churches.

[Carpatz]

[Hektor12]

They have interesting similarities with east asian architecture. Are there any connections?

[Donhueas]

They have interesting similarities with east asian architecture. Are there any connections?

Material availability and rainfall circumstances (?)

[ixulescu]

They have interesting similarities with east asian architecture. Are there any connections?

No, there are no Asian connections. The tower was made in the fashion of the stone-built gothic churches in the area.

What's interesting is that they made the church spire so tall, in one of them is 78 meters high. That's quite an impressive feat of engineering, considering this is a design made hundreds of years ago by illiterate peasants.