Romanian Architectural Wooden Cultural Heritage – The Present Status - a Survey

Bogdan Constantinescu

National Institute of Nuclear Physics and Engineering “Horia Hulubei”

PO BOX MG-6, Bucharest 077125, ROMANIA

Abstract
In Romania it is a great wealth of wooden objects - from village churches in North (Maramuresh), wind- and
watermills up to beautiful Greek Orthodox iconostases – wooden religious panel paintings belonging to the
Cultural Heritage of our people. A brief description of this architectural wooden cultural heritage, mainly
presented in two open-air museums – Muzeul Satului (Village Museum) in Bucharest and Astra Museum near
the Transylvanian city of Sibiu - and in Maramures villages is presented. The importance of preservation of
traditional techniques for wood “repairs” (carpentry with ancient tools, special timber items) is outlined. A short
description of Romanian dendrochronological multidisciplinary research – is also presented.

1.THE ROMANIAN ARCHITECTURAL WOODEN CULTURAL HERITAGE

In Romania it is a great wealth of wooden objects - from small but tall (bellfries up to 54 m !) village
churches in North (Maramuresh), popular technique “machineries” as wind- and watermills up to
beautiful Greek Orthodox iconostases – wooden religious panel paintings belonging to the Cultural
Heritage of our people [1,2]. A brief characterization of the conservation-restoration specific problems
for Some of the most representative wooden churches and ancient village houses are presented in two
big open-air national popular art museums – Muzeul Satului (Village Museum) in Bucharest and Astra
Museum near the Transylvanian city of Sibiu.
Founded by Royal Decree in 1936, and covering some 15 hectares on the shores of Lake Herăstrău,
Muzeul Satului [3] is one of the greatest outdoor museums in the Balkans. There are more than 300
original houses, farmsteads, windmills, watermills and churches from all of Romania's historic
regions: Transylvania, Oltenia, Dobrogea and Moldavia. Every exhibit has a plaque showing exactly
where in Romania it was brought from. Some even now have recorded commentary in four languages
(if the stickers are missing, press the second button for English). Most of the houses date from the mid
19th-century, but there are some, such as those from Berbeşti, in the heart of Romania - celebrated for
their intricately carved entrances - which date from as early as 1775. The highlight of the museum is
probably the steep belfry of the wooden Maramureş church, complete with exquisite but faded icons. It
was created in 1936 by Dimitrie Gusti, Victor Ion Popa, and Henri H. Stahl. The museum is organized
as a village, with clusters of houses belonging to different areas of the country. They are completely
furnished, have gardens and winding paths around so a visit here is like going back in time, visiting
real old time rural areas.

Figure 1 Peasant house – Village Museum, Bucharest

The "ASTRA" Museum of Traditional Folk Civilization (Romanian: Muzeul Civilizaţiei Populare
Tradiţionale "ASTRA") is located in the Dumbrava Forest, 3 km south of Sibiu, on the road towards
Răşinari, and is easily accessible by car, bus or tramway. Occupying an area of 0.96 square kilometres,
it is the largest open air museum in Romania and one of the largest in Central and Eastern Europe. It
contains houses and workshops of the traditional Romanian folk culture from the pre-industrial era.
Over 300 houses and other buildings are situated in the forest around two artificial lakes with over 10
km of walkways between them. The exhibits are organised into six thematic groups: food production
and animal husbandry, production of raw materials, means of transportation, manufacture of
household objects, public buildings, an exposition of wooden monumental sculpture. Some of the most
spectacular buildings are a group of windmills from the Dobrudja area, a playing area for popice
(skittles, an early form of bowling) from the Păltiniş monastery, a small mine from the Apuseni
Mountains, a few water-mills, a wooden ferry, and a fishery from the Danube Delta. Also there are
houses of shepherds, pottery workshops, iron workshops and others. There is also a working inn, a
small pub and a dance pavilion. In the museum there is a wooden church from northern Transylvania
brought in 1990-1992 from the village of Bezded in Sălaj County. The main conservation-restoration
specific problems for the wooden churches and ancient village houses presented in these two big open-
air national popular art museums are wood preservation, wood moisture relationships and the
temperature-moisture and time dependence of wood material properties. The difference between the
sub-mountain (forest) humid and cool environment of Astra Museum and the hot and dry plain – urban
environment of Romania’s Capital is essential, including the influence of anthropic air pollution more
dangerous in Bucharest – a big industrial city – than near Sibiu – a historical touristic town.
Unfortunately, these specific studies are only started in the two museums, due to their difficult
financial problems.

Figure 2 Watermill, ASTRA Museum

The biggest and most valuable Romanian wooden cultural heritage are the famous wooden churches
from Maramures [4]. Maramures is a region situated in the northern range of the Carpathian
Mountains in Northern most Romania. The Region is enclosed by high mountains and communicates
to the outside world through the narrow Tissa Gate and though several mountain passes. The aria is
10.000 sq. Km. and it has over 280 villages and towns. In 1900, forest covered 90% of the Maramures
area. The abundance of timber combined with the skill and craftsmanship of the local people brought
the area the name of "land of wood". The region is famous for the large number of well preserved
wooden Churches. Estimated number of wooden churches build before 1850 is 94. There is a strong
tradition of building wooden churches right across Eastern Europe, from Karelia and northern Russia
all the way to the Adriatic, but in terms of both quality and quantity the richest examples are in
Maramures. From 1278 the Orthodox Romanians were forbidden by their Catholic Hungarian
overlords to build churches in stone, and so used wood to ape Gothic developments. In general, the
walls are built of blockwork (squared.off logs laid horizontally) with intricate joints, cantilevered out
in places to form brackets or consoles supporting the eaves. The tradition of building wooden churches
in central and southern Maramureş can be traced from the beginning of the 16th century to the turn of
the 18th century. Since the knowledge used to build the local wooden churches circulated throughout
Europe, their understanding is of high interest far outside the region. In Maramureş today 42 wooden
churches remain, 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. Maramureş is one of the better-known regions of
Romania, with autonomous traditions since the Middle Ages - but still not much visited. Its well-
preserved wooden villages and churches, its traditional lifestyle, and the local colourful dresses still in
use make Maramureş as near to a living museum as can be found in Europe. The famous wooden
churches of the region were built during the 17th and 18th centuries, on the place of older churches.

Figure 3 Maramures wooden church during and after repair

They are a response to a prohibition against the erection of stone Romanian Orthodox churches. The
churches are made of thick logs, are quite small and dark inside, and painted with rather "naïve"
Biblical scenes. 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. Some of them have been listed by the UNESCO
as a World Heritage Site in 1999, for their religious architecture and timber construction traditions.
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 Maramureş who were able to reach such levels were not
simple peasants but well specialised church carpenters who inherited and maintained this advanced
knowledge to exclusively build houses of worship. Since the local tradition to erect wooden churches
depended on those who built and used them, it is fundamental to identify the local builders and
founders. The earlier blurred distinction between them veiled their separate roles in shaping the
wooden churches and hindered us from a clear understanding of the results. The extant wooden
churches from Maramureş reveal the existence during the 17th and 18th centuries of at least two main
family schools of church carpenters. There are further distinguishable three main itineraries and
numerous smaller ones, indicating the work of some of the most important church carpenters ever
active in the region and in some cases even shifts among generations. In general, the church carpenters
stood for the technical performances, the high quality of the wood work and the artistic refinement. In
a long perspective, the true creators of the local wooden churches were actually the commissioning
founders. Especially the role of the noble founders of Eastern Christian rite was decisive in the
formation of a regional character among the local wooden churches. The wooden churches from
Maramureş closely mirror the local society of modest country landlords, manifesting themselves along
several centuries in their double condition of Eastern Christians and Western nobles.
The wooden churches from Maramureş open necessary connections with similar performances
throughout Europe. Seemingly the local distinction made between sacred and profane rooms was
characteristic for many other rural regions on the continent. The highest knowledge in log building
seems to have had a sacred purpose with wide continental circulation and therefore in many places
requires distinction from the more regionally rooted vernacular one. The most elaborate structures of
the Maramures-region are the wooden churches, mostly built during the eighteenth century when this
Gothic-inspired architecture reached its height. Originally founded upon huge blocks of wood rather
than stone, they rear up into fairytale spires or couch beneath humpbacked roofs, and are generally
sited on the highest ground in the village to escape seasonal mud. These churches are outstanding
examples of a range of architectural solutions from different periods and areas. They show the variety
of designs and craftsmanship adopted in these narrow, high, timber constructions with their
characteristic tall, slim clock towers at the western end of the building, either single- or double-roofed
and covered by shingles. As such, they are a particular vernacular expression of the cultural landscape
of this mountainous area of northern Romania. The wooden churches are a distinct feature of
Maramures. Here the natives' woodcarving talent shows up in a display of beauty and creativity. These
churches are built in the 17th and 18th centuries without the help of any iron nails, yet reach
impressive heights. In fact, here you will find the highest wooden building in Europe (some say in the
entire world) - the church of Surdesti, reaching 72 m (236 ft).
The Maramures wooden churches represent the beautiful synthesis of the major architectural elements
of Eastern and Western Europe, more precisely a synthesis of the Byzantine plan and the Gothic forms
rendered according to an original autochthonous architectural interpretation. The constructions are
made out of wood, in conformity with the Blockbau system, according to the traditional technique,
which denotes a perfect knowledge of the material. They represent a particular type of construction in
the context of the wooden churches of Romania, implicitly of Europe, by:
- the higher naos, and pronaos (and porch, if any), which involved the emergence of the double roof,
resulting in a larger church;
- the naos topped with a bell tower; here the Gothic influence is obvious, while technically this
original solution is remarkable; the largeness and artistry of this architectural form have given to the
churches an unmistakable outline. The intricate structure is remarkable, as every element has a double
role, constructive and decorative. The sizing denotes a sure sense of proportions; the inner space is
conceived at a human scale, while resting imposing. The interior painting, the cult objects, heighten
this effect. The double roof, the horizontal lines of the registers, are new elements that have
considerably changed the architecture of the façades. Like the bell tower, that defies the laws of
statics, they give to the church a dynamism challenging the robustness and stability of the base.
All these elements converge towards the impressive monumentality of these churches, considered to
be true wooden cathedrals.
The preservation of traditional techniques for wood “repairs” (carpentry with ancient tools, special
timber items, impregnation – tar-pitch layers) of this extraordinary art, historical and religious
monuments is very important .

Figure 4 Church under repair

2.DENDROCHRONOLOGICAL RESEARCH

An example of international cooperation in the field of dendrochronology is the project on

Maramures wooden churches performed by Architect Alexandru D. Babos, at Lund
University, Department of Architecture, Sweden, together with Dr. Ólafur Eggertsson, Senior
Lecturer and Head of Laboratory for Wood anatomy and Dendrochronology, Lund University,
Department of Quaternary Geology, project performed between 1995 and 1999 [5].
Alexandru Babos has been carrying out fieldwork in the area since 1995 for the architectural
studies. The dendrochronological fieldwork was carried out during October 1997, 25 churches
were sampled, and an average of 18 samples was collected from each church. Samples from
living oak trees were collected from two different stands. Because no tree-ring chronologies
are available from the region of Maramures, this project is therefore a pioneer work for the
dendrochronologist. Samples had to be collected both from living trees and from younger
buildings to be able to date the churches. But surprisingly when the first living tree-ring
chronology had been established, covering the period 1997 to 1730, it gave quite high
correlation with the South German Chronology and when two churches had been measured
and the curves had been averaged they could be dated with the same chronology. The
following chronologies have been established:
- A living tree-ring chronology: 1720-1997 (10 samples)
- Chronology from the Churches: 1406-1670 (50 samples)
Preliminary dendrochronological dates of some churches are:
- Calinesti-Caeni: felling of timber: winter: 1628-29
- Breb: felling of timber: winter: 1621-22
- Valea Stejarului: felling of timber: 1657 +/- 5 years
- Barsana Jbar: felling of timber: 1681 +/- 5 years
- Cornesti: felling of timber: 1505 +/- 5 (the old chancel), 1608 +/- 5 (the old church), 1650
+/- 5 (tower and possible reparation)
- Rona de Jos: felling of timber: 1639 +/- 5
- Harnicesti felling of timber: winter 1678-79
In the last two years, in Romania some studies are also started as a cooperation betwen ICAS - Forest
Research and Management Institute, Research Station for Norway Spruce Silviculture Suceava (Ionel
Popa and Cristian Sidor – dendrochronology,
Olivier BOURIAUD – dendroclimatology) and TDL - The Szekler Museum of Ciuc,
Transylvanian Dendrochronological Laboratory (Botár István). ICAS has expertize in Lintab and
Lignovision systems, dendrochronology and wood dating , wood anatomy laboratory and wood
identification, and TDL in dendrochronology, techniques to measure tree rings, dendroarcheology –
wood dating. They started two projects: Archaeology – medieval settlement history and material
culture (dendrochronology – historical roof constructions) and Medieval ecclesiastical architecture.
They also have good conections with Art, Arcaheological and History Museums. Next year, the first
results of the projects will be published.

3.CONCLUSIONS

Despite the very precious Romanian architectural wooden cultural heritage – especially churches and
peasant houses - , due to the financial difficulties, until now the main activity for its preservation was
an empirical one: repairs and reconstruction of damaged items. Only in the last years we could speak
about a scientific abordation of the conservation – preservation problems, mainly through the
specialized laboratories belonging to Village Museum in Bucharest and Astra Museum in Sibiu. Also
the dendrochronolgy activity effectively started in our country in the last few years. Next year, we
hope to have finalized the first projects in the field and to make public the results acquired.

References
1.Stoica, G. (1983): “Romanian Peasant Houses and Households”, Wayne State University
Press, Detroit.
2.Ungureanu, N. (1974): “Zur praehistorisch-geographischen Entwicklung der rumaenischen
Volkskultur”, in “Das Holz in der rumaenischen Volkskunst”, Muenchen.
3.Focsa, G. (1971): „The Bucharest Village Museum“, in „Museum of etnographic-
sociological Nature in Romania“, Sibiu.
4.Godea, I. (1996): “Biserici de lemn din Romania (nord-vestul Transilvaniei)”, Editura
Meridiane, Bucuresti – in Romanian.
5.Babos, A (2004): “ Tracing a Sacred Building Tradition. Wooden Churches, Carpenters and
Founders in Maramures until the Turn of the 18th Century.”, PhD dissertation, Lund
University Library, Sweden.