The wooden church in Chiraleş is a travelling church that was not moved to whatever village, but right into a village museum, in the “Romulus Vuia” National Ethnographic Park in Cluj-Napoca.
Its style dates from the end of the 17th century. The tower, with an almost conical helmet and a very enlarged skirt, like a furbelow fringe, catches the eye and it is a proof of the craftsmanship of folk art.
The church impresses with exquisite decorative elements: the sculpted girdle rope, door carvings, very old motifs, wings and outside brackets, breathers artistically cut into the walls meant for candle smoke exhaust. The fresco in the Al Secco technique is also remarkable.
When you get to the open air museum, you can also discover other treasures of the Romanian folk architecture.
Brief historical insight
The wooden church was built in the Chiraleș village in Bistrița-Năsăud county. It was first documentary attested around the year 1622. Atanasie Popa, a priest and an important historian of Romanian culture and art, left us valuable studies about the wooden churches in Transylvania. He also researched the wooden church in Chiraleş. The study included inportant information on the painting of the church as it was in 1937. He also deciphered some inscriptions related to the origins of the church.
In 1777 the name Cusaiu is mentioned, as the name of the painter that painted the altar. The painting, started in 1769, was completed by Ioan Ştențel from Sânmărghita.
Story of the place
The Greek Catholic wooden church was erected on a mound called Chersalom. At the middle of the 17th century, the Bethlen family from Beclean owned a series of land in the Chiraleş village. In 1782, the entire village entered the ownership of this family. Then, in 1803, Count Lajos Bethlen took over possession over the village from his uncle, Count Gergely Bethlen. In the years that followed, a castle surrounded by a garden, in Italian style, was erected on that mound.
After 1945, the castle was demolished. It laid over a crypt that was unique in the Europe of that time. It consisted of a tunnel dug in rock and having 32 arms. The crypt is the only remainder after the demolition. The arrangement of a tourist site is considered for the place.
Unique experiences
When you get to the “Romulus Vuia” National Ethnographic Park in Cluj-Napoca, where the church from Chiraleș was transferred in the second half of the 20th century, you can also see other architectural monuments, traditional village households, as well as installations and workshops specific to the traditional Romanian village.
If you get to Cluj-Napoca, also visit the National History Museum of Transylvania, the Art Museum or the “Alexandru Borza” Botanical Garden.
The cultural agenda of the city is a landmark. There are festivals, fairs, concerts, shows and exhibitions organised here throughout the year.
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