Wooden church in Leleasca

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

UNESCO World Heritage church built in 1549

The church was founded in 1549, according to an inscription in Slavonic inside, and is dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. In its present form it dates back to 1766, when works were carried out to alter the original appearance. On the entrance wall are the years of construction, the name of the founder and the name of the craftsman who built the church.

It was rehabilitated in 2010, after which documentation was drawn up for its inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Church made of wooden beams joined together in a swallowtail

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

The pillars and the entrance to the church are ornamented in the style of peasant houses, with stylized "suns", strings and other popular symbols that bring good luck and ward off evil. The beams have carved horse heads. All around it has a carved girdle 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. At these tables, the community gathers for feasts and offerings. This reminded me of the country customs of my childhood, when the village was a close-knit community, where they feasted and mourned 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 mourning for loved ones who are no longer with us. 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 inside. But I understood that it is similarly decorated inside, with old icons and an altar table made from a tree trunk. I planned to go again at the first opportunity to see the interior.

I recommend, if you go to Râmnicu Vâlcea, to make a small detour from Pitești to Drăgășani, up to Leleasca. If you are a wood lover, you won't regret it. The movie below will convince you.