No place is more fitting than the Maramures in order to follow the metamorphoses of wood: this region in northern Romania is renowned for its marvelous culture of woodworking, which has flourished in the villages along the Mara, Iza, Cosau, Viseu and Tisa valleys. The portals of the locals, which are scrupulously carved with decorative motifs representing stylized solar disks, the tree of life crosses, geometric figures, are remarkable of rustic art.

Compared with massive churches of stone, the small wooden places of worship offer an alternative order of space. Expressions of local spirituality, the Wooden Churches in the Maramures villages of Barsana, Budesti, Desesti, Ieud, Plopis, Poienile Izei, Rogoz and Surdesti, with their tapering spires soaring to the heavens, seem to have overcome the perishable nature of the material from which they have been crafted.

The Church on the Hill at Ieud, dating from the 17th century, has murals by Alexandru Ponehalschi. In the attic were discovered the Ieud Codices, the oldest such codex in the Romanian language. Here there is a collection of icons painted on glass from the Nicula Monastery (the first center for painting on glass in Transylvania), precious books and documents, and carpets colored with vegetal dyes.

The Church of St Nicholas in Budesti was erected in 1643 on the site of a church dating from the 15th century. The church, constructed from thick beams resting on a stone foundation, was painted in luminous, harmonious colors by Alexandru Ponehalschi in 1762. Ponehalschi was one of the most prolific mural painters in Maramures. Unfortunately, the murals have been preserved intact only in the western part of the church.

The Church of the Blessed Parascheva in Poienile Izei dates from the 17th century. The nave of the church is rectangular in plan, the porch is situated on the western side, the roof has a double hem, and the steeple, with 3 bells, above the porch, presents an elongated helmet, above which is fixed a tall cross. The altar differs from that of the other churches in that it has 4 sides, as in antiquity. The murals, painted in 1794, are impressive for their eclectic style, combining traditional iconographic elements with others specific to the age.

The 17th century wooden Church of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel in Rogoz, a village situated on the banks of the Lapus, was constructed in 1633. The place of worship is one of the most interesting in all of Maramures. The nave is rectangular; the narthex has apses, while the altar is hexagonal. The belfry is flanked by 4 turrets, placed at each corner. Beneath the eaves can be found numerous consoles, sculpted in the form of horses’ heads.

The Church of the Blessed Parascheva in Desesti was erected in 1717. Its architecture is in the traditional style: the joinery, the equilibrium of forms and volumes, the harmony of the whole confer an impression of simplicity and elegance. Originality is lent to the monument by the beans of the upper part, supporting the sloping roof, which are elongated and sculpted into steps.

The Church of St Nicholas in Barsana offers you a typical example of Maramures architecture. The church is remarkable for its small scale, rectangular plan, five-sided apse, belfry situated over the porch, and the double slope of the roof. The murals were painted in 1806 by two local artists, and the composition was influenced by baroque art.

The Church of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel in Plopis was built at the end of the 18th century by Ioan Macarie and the murals were painted in 1811 by Stefan of Sisesti. The originality of this church lies in the three-lobed ceiling vault of the nave, a case unique in the wooden churches in Maramures.

The Church of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel in Surdesti, a village in the Cavnic River valley, was built in 1766 and the murals were painted in 1783 by Stefan of Sisesti. It is thought to be the tallest religious wooden edifice in Europe, with a tower of 54 meters. The porch has 2 rows of arcades, one above the other. The iconostasis of the church is remarkable for its polychrome, gilded baroque wooden ornamentation, a true treasure of old Romanian art.

Travelers are recommended not to miss these monuments representative of the wooden architecture of Maramures, veritable treasures of old Romanian art.