"Saints Archangels Michael and Gabriel" Wooden Church in Tilecuș, Bihor

In the beginning, the village had a small church made of rammed earth and wattle, located outside the settlement. It was called the Deserted Church. Legend has it that the villagers hid Filimon Gligor, a Romanian fugitive from the Austro-Hungarian army, in it. They brought him water, food, and the necessities. Grateful for the help he received, before leaving to join Horea's Uprising, he donated a hundred gold florins to the villagers of Tilecuș to build a new church.

Thus, in 1783, in the center of the village, the construction of an oak wood church began. It was erected by the brothers Vasile and Toader Indrieș, who came here from the mountains, exchanging their leather flasks for wheat and other cereals. Built on a stone foundation brought from Valea Roșie, it has a beautiful Gothic spire and a Transylvanian body. It is surrounded by a twisted belt and a narrow corridor. It bears the dedication to Saints Archangels Michael and Gabriel. Many of its treasures have been preserved, including an embroidered antimension with gold thread, as well as a beautifully crafted candelabrum.

A Deserted Church shelters a man and gives birth to another that lasts for centuries, here is the place waiting for you to discover!

Local resident Manc Teodor was the second founder of the church, contributing money to complete the construction. Thus, the church was not completed under the patronage of Filimon Gligor but under that of Manc Teodor and the priest Gligorie, as indicated by the Cyrillic inscriptions in the church.

The first of them reads as follows:

The second inscription mentions:

The interior painting of the church was made in 1793 by the painter Mihail Polacek, being a work dominated by the color blue. Unfortunately, it was largely destroyed by water that penetrated through the roof, causing great damage to the vault, which was later rebuilt by the Directorate of Historical Monuments. The paintings on the walls of the church, although less visible today due to the weather, depict Adam and Eve, as well as other figures of saints.

On the iconostasis of the church, the scene of the Crucifixion is beautifully depicted, framed by 15 frames with painted faces of saints, as well as 12 other icons without frames. The left side is better preserved, with scenes of the Birth, Baptism, and Ascension of Christ in the center of the iconostasis.

The area where the church is located offers a plethora of other interesting experiences and tourist attractions. One of them would be the collection of history and geography professor Iosif Tarcea from Tilecuș. It contains exhibits from the fields of history, archaeology, numismatics, ethnography, as well as hunting and fishing trophies. The collection is housed in a traditional Bihor-style house, located about 100 meters from the church.

From Tilecuș, you can quickly reach the picturesque Vârciorog resort, only 10 km away. Another attraction of the area is Lake Vida, whose waters change color depending on the season.