Holy Archangels Church, Șurdești: UNESCO wooden church

The tallest tower of the Chioar land

The village of Șurdești lies in the hills south of the Gutâi Mountains, in the Chioar land (Țara Chioarului), which today belongs to Maramureș County. Its main landmark is the wooden church of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel, one of the eight churches inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1999 as the «Wooden Churches of Maramureș».

The church was built in 1721 by the village's Greek Catholic community under the master carpenter Macarie (the county brochure calls him Toma Macarie, Romanian Wikipedia Ion Macarie), using mountain oak. It still belongs to the Greek Catholic community, which worships here. For a long time it was regarded as the tallest wooden church of its age: its total height is about 54 m. Many guides quote 72 m, but Romanian Wikipedia explains that this is a widespread error. The paintings on the wooden walls date from the late 18th century; the best known of the painters is Ștefan of Șișești (Ștefan din Șișești), who worked here in 1783.

Why go

Șurdești is a rare chance to see the perfection that the wooden architecture of Maramureș reached in the 18th century. The slender tower rising above the narthex can be seen from far away, and the two-storey arcaded porch gives the entrance a light, elegant look. Inside there is a Baroque iconostasis, paintings with the Last Judgement and the Apocalypse, and a staircase carved from a single oak trunk. The church stands in a cemetery with old stone tombs, apple trees and haystacks, so you feel the rhythm of a Maramureș village. One kilometre away, on the other side of the valley, stands its «twin» in Plopiș, also a UNESCO site.

What to see

• The tower above the narthex with an open belfry and four corner turrets around the spire; the structure is braced against the wind along its whole height.
• The two-storey porch with two rows of arches of different width but the same shape.
• The carved «rope» belt running round the whole church, windows with ogee-shaped tops and the double eaves along the entire outline.
• Crosses with a crescent — by tradition placed to protect the church from Tatar raids (the last one in the area was in 1717).
• Late 18th-century paintings: in the narthex the Last Judgement and Doubting Thomas, on the nave vault the Holy Trinity and scenes from the Apocalypse, on the sides Jacob's Ladder and the prophet Elijah in his fiery chariot.
• The Baroque iconostasis with gilded carving, the staircase made from one oak trunk and a carved wooden chandelier.

Practical information

The church stands on a hill above the village of Șurdești, Șișești commune. It is about 25 km from Baia Mare and roughly 65 km from Sighetu Marmației and the Solotvyno – Sighetu Marmației border crossing via the Gutâi Pass. There are no fixed opening hours: to see the interior, call the parish priest Fr Marius Tomoș in advance on +40 262 298 744 or +40 766 442 263 (contacts from the Maramureș County Council brochure, as of March 2026). This is a working church: dress modestly (shoulders and knees covered), keep quiet, do not disturb services and ask the priest before taking photos inside. Allow 30–45 minutes. Note: the Catholic church under construction in the village, damaged by a fire in April 2026, is a different building; the UNESCO monument was not affected.

Nearby

• Holy Archangels Church in Plopiș — another UNESCO site one kilometre away, across the valley.
• Holy Archangels Church in Rogoz in the Lăpuș land, about 20 km away.
• St Nicholas Church in Budești on the other side of the Gutâi Pass.
• St Paraskeva Church in Desești with some of the finest paintings in Maramureș.
• Eco Maramureș: tours to the craftspeople of Breb, Sârbi and Călinești.

Photos: The Traveller LB, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; Idobi, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Taxidriver98, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Alina Belascu, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; Țetcu Mircea Rareș, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Utilizator:Țetcu Mircea Rareș at ro.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.