St Paraskeva's Church, Desești: UNESCO wooden church

A church of the Mara valley

The village of Desești lies in the valley of the Mara river, on the road that descends from the Gutâi Pass towards Sighetu Marmației. Its wooden church of St Paraskeva is one of the eight inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1999 as the "Wooden Churches of Maramureș". Romanian researchers regard it as one of the characteristic monuments of 18th-century Maramureș.

The exact building date is unknown: historians give the mid-18th century, 1770 or 1780. What is certain is that the paintings and the iconostasis were made in 1780, so the church was probably built a few years earlier. Local legend links its story to the Tatar raid of 1717, when the previous church burned down, and says the site of the new one was "chosen" by the altar stone itself: it was moved several times until it stopped toppling over. In 1996–1998 the church was thoroughly restored, both its architecture and its paintings. Since 1948 it has belonged to the village's Orthodox parish.

Why go

The main reason is the painting, preserved on the walls of all three rooms. Two of the best-known painters of Maramureș worked side by side here: the interior was painted by Radu Munteanu from Ungureni in the Lăpuș region with his assistant Gheorghe from Desești, while the iconostasis is attributed on stylistic grounds to Alexandru Ponehalschi. The naive, vivid and very "human" scenes read like a picture book.

What to see

• The Last Judgement, covering all four walls of the narthex. The sinners are told apart by their clothes: Turks and Tatars in baggy trousers and tunics, Germans in frock coats and small hats, and "Franks" in tight trousers and tall caps.
• Scenes from Genesis on the nave vault, from the creation of Adam and Eve to the temptation by the serpent, and episodes from the life of St Demetrius.
• The sanctuary, with the Virgin Orans in a medallion, the four Evangelists and the Trinity at Mamre.
• The iconostasis in three tiers with the Crucifixion, the Entombment and the Resurrection, and icons of the 17th–18th centuries.
• The old cemetery around the church with old crosses (including Celtic-type ones) and, according to the county, an oak about 400 years old.

Practical information

From Sighetu Marmației to Desești it is about 20 km south along the Mara valley, and about 22 km from the Solotvyno – Sighetu Marmației border crossing. From Baia Mare it is about 45 km over the Gutâi Pass. There is no fixed timetable: to see the interior, phone Fr Ioan Ardelean in advance on +40 262 374 604 or +40 730 004 715 (contacts from the Maramureș County Council brochure, as of March 2026). This is a working church: dress modestly, keep quiet and ask the priest before taking photos inside. Steps lead up to the church through the cemetery. Allow 30–45 minutes — the paintings deserve an unhurried look.

Nearby

• The village of Mara in the valley of the same name and the road over the Gutâi Pass with mountain views.
• Vadu Izei near Sighetu Marmației, a village of woodcarvers, weavers and glass painters.
• St Nicholas' church in Budești in the neighbouring Cosău valley.
• The Maramureș Village Museum in Sighetu Marmației.
• Eco Maramureș: tours to the craftspeople of Breb, Sârbi and Călinești.

Photos: Thaler Tamas, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Chainwit., CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Original uploader was Vali at ro.wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons; MariaFrancescaMiruna, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Vali at Romanian Wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons; Țetcu Mircea Rareș, CC BY-SA 3.0 ro, Wikimedia Commons; Țetcu Mircea Rareș, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Josep Renalias Lohen11, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.