Church Saint Nicholas and Saint Paraskeva, Malaia

Located in a picturesque natural setting, dominated by the slopes of the Lotrului Valley, the Vâlcea commune of Malaia is a place worth visiting! Here is the wooden Church dedicated to "Saint Nicholas and the Saint Paraskeva", a wonderful testimony of the flourishing wooden civilization in Oltenia.

The church dates from the beginning of the 19th century and is the foundation of one of the sons of the village of Malaia, bishop Iosif Argeșiu.

The construction has some interesting elements, such as the foundation placed on an old stone cross, but also the buttresses on the north and south walls, which were added later, with a supporting role.

The open porch, similar to the porch of the peasant house, is distinguished by a sculpture with simple decorations, such as apples or belts in saw teeth.

Also distinctive is the floral-looking cross placed above the entrance door, surrounded by a twisted rope under which there is an inscription in Cyrillic letters.

The iconostas, as old as the place, but also the interior painting, made in the oil technique, pleases the eyes of the visitors.

Come to Malaia too, to discover this treasure piece of traditional Romanian architecture!

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The story of the place

Legend has it that the villages of Malaia, Voineasa, Brezoi and Ciungetu were founded by the Haiduks Mălai, Voinea, Breazu and Ciungu.

The village of Malaia was documented for the first time in 1505, being inhabited by the Moșneni, whose occupations were logging, hunting, fishing and shepherding.

It is said that the shepherds from the village of Malaia are related to those from Mărginimea Sibiului and that they migrated to the north of Oltenia in two rows. The movement first took place at the end of the 18th century, when the persecution against the Orthodox in Transylvania began, and then, at the end of the 19th century, immediately after the War of Independence.

Architectural features

The wooden church in Malaia presents elements specific to the traditional architecture of Oltenia, which you can notice especially in the porch, where the resemblance to the porch of peasant houses is obvious.

The sculpture in the shape of ram's horns of the transverse beam takes us to the thought of the pastoral civilization of the area, also illustrating the strength of masculinity in the traditional areas. Above the joint with the pillars, the beam is decorated with floral motifs.

Over time, the pillars have been rehabilitated or replaced, with only two of them remaining to the original architecture.

In the courtyard of the church, right next to the entrance, there is an old bell tower, certain elements of its upper part may be contemporary with the original construction of the church. 

The mural painting of the wooden church in Malaia was made in the oil technique at the end of the 19th century by the painters Toma Cristea, Ilie Dumitrescu and C. Costescu. Unfortunately, at this moment, the artistic value of the painting of the holy place is greatly diminished. As a result of the oxidation of the pigments used in the mentioned technique, the painting became very dark over time.

As for the painting of the outer walls, it is present on the porch, as well as on the wall on the north side of the altar, where the scene of Saint George slaying the dragon is represented. Despite the degree of degradation, scenes and portraits of saints can still be identified on the church porch, to the left and to the right of the entrance.