Wooden church in Leleasca

I discovered the wooden church in Leleasca, Olt county, on Pentecost weekend. From what I saw afterwards, it's a fairly well known church, but it was new to me. Being an old wooden church I was immediately fascinated and wanted to find out as much as I could about it.

UNESCO Heritage Church founded in 1549

The church was founded in 1549, according to a Slavonic inscription inside, and is dedicated to "The Assumption of the Virgin Mary". In its present form it dates from 1766, when work was carried out that altered its original appearance. On the wall at the entrance are written the years of construction, the name of the founder and the name of the craftsman who built the church.

It was renovated in 2010, after which the documentation was drawn up to be included in the UNESCO heritage.

Church made of wooden beams joined in a swallowtail

The church is built of square wooden beams, joined in "swallowtail". It is covered with oak nailed in wooden nails. The entrance has stairs and a porch reminiscent of peasant houses.

The pillars and the entrance to the church are decorated in the style of peasant houses, with stylised "suns", strings and other popular symbols that bring good luck and protect from evil. The beams have carved horse heads. All around it has a belt carved in the shape of a twisted rope.

The settlement is a complex with a wooden gate and fence, a church and a long row of covered wooden tables. It is at these tables that the community gathers for feasts and offer offerings. This reminded me of the country customs of my childhood, when the village was a close-knit community, feasting and mourning together. Locals say that even now, on holidays, people come with food from home and sit at these communal tables, inviting people, acquaintances and strangers alike, to eat from the dishes in remembrance and in remembrance of loved ones who are no longer in this world. It is a custom that in many places has been lost and with it the special bond between people.

Unfortunately, when we arrived the church was closed and we couldn't visit the inside. But I understand it is similarly decorated inside, with old icons and an altar table made from the trunk of a tree. I made a point of going again at the first opportunity to see the inside.

I recommend, if you go to Râmnicu Vâlcea, to make a small detour from Pitesti to Drăgășani, to Leleasca. If you are a wood lover, you will certainly not regret it. The video below will convince you.