Bârsana Monastery: a wooden ensemble in the Iza valley

An old monastery reborn in wood

The Monastery of the Synaxis of the Twelve Apostles in Bârsana is an Orthodox convent of the Diocese of Maramureș and Sătmar of the Romanian Orthodox Church. It stands on a terrace above the Iza river, about 22 km south-east of Sighetu Marmației, at the edge of the village on the road to Strâmtura.

Monastic life in Bârsana has deep roots: a monastery is mentioned in a charter of 1390, and in 1735–1740 it was the residence of the Orthodox bishop of Maramureș. On 12 July 1791 the monastery was closed, and in 1806 villagers moved its wooden church into the village itself — that church is now on the UNESCO list. The idea of reviving the monastery on its old site came true after 1989: in 1993 the foundation stone of the new church was blessed, and in 1994 Abbess Filofteia Oltean arrived. The whole ensemble was designed by the architect Dorel Cordoș and built by local craftsmen from oak and river stone, continuing the tradition of Maramureș carpenters.

Why go

Bârsana is one of the most photogenic spots of the Iza valley: slender shingle spires, well-kept flower beds, paved paths and mountains all around. It is modern architecture that does not copy but creatively continues the style of the old Maramureș churches, so you can see how this tradition lives on today. At the same time it is above all a place of prayer, and it is the silence that makes a visit special.

What to see

• The main church in Maramureș style, about 57 m tall — until recently one of the tallest wooden churches in the world.
• The gate bell tower through which you enter, and the carved Maramureș gate by the road.
• The summer altar, the abbess's house, the «Voivode's House» and the «Artist's House» — wooden buildings with high roofs and galleries.
• The «Bishop Gavril of Bârsana» Museum of Icons and Old Books (opened in 2005): manuscripts and books of the 16th–19th centuries, old icons and folk art. On the lower floor of the museum are workshops where the nuns weave and paint icons, and the upper, wooden floor holds an ethnographic display in the spirit of a Maramureș peasant house.
• Carved crosses and flower gardens between the buildings.

Practical information

The monastery lies at km 17 of county road DJ186, behind a Maramureș gate by the road. From the Solotvyno — Sighetu Marmației border crossing it is about 25 km along the Iza valley. The grounds are open to pilgrims and visitors in daytime. According to the monastery's website, on weekdays services begin at 7:00 (akathist, the Hours and the Divine Liturgy) and at 19:00 (Vespers and Matins), on Sundays and feast days at 9:30 and 17:00. Ask on site about the museum's hours and any fee. This is a working convent: dress modestly, speak quietly, do not enter the cells or farm buildings, and ask permission before photographing people or the church interior. A visit takes about an hour. The main feast is on 30 June, the Synaxis of the Twelve Apostles, when many pilgrims come. Paths are paved, but the grounds are on a slope.

Nearby

• The wooden Church of the Presentation of the Virgin in Bârsana village — a UNESCO site.
• The «hill» church in Ieud — a UNESCO site.
• The Maramureș Village Museum in Sighetu Marmației.
• The Memorial of the Victims of Communism in Sighetu Marmației.
• Tours to the craftspeople of Breb, Sârbi and Călinești.

Official website: manastireabarsana.ro

Photos: Chainwit., CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Remus Pereni, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons.