The Bârsana Monastery

The monastery dedicated to the "Council of Saints of the 12 Apostles" is one of the most beloved attractions of Maramureș. This magnificent place brings the sky closer to the earth and the people closer to divinity, being an endless source of inner peace and serenity. 

Although there are documents that refer to the Bârsana Monastery dating back to 1390, the current ensemble of this monastery was built in 1993, on the location of an older one, currently included in the UNESCO World Heritage and relocated on the Jbârului Bridges (Podurile Jbârului).

The Bârsana Monastery ensemble currently includes: the Maramureș-style wooden church, the Summer Altar, the Holy Water room (Aghiasmatarul), the Abbot’s House (Stăreția), the Voivodal House, the Nuns’ House, the Artist's House, the Priest's House, the Xenodochium (Arhondaricul), the Mess hall (Prăznicarul cu trapeza), the Bell Tower, the Maramureș-style Gate, the Funerary Monument, wooden crosses, the pond, the footbridge over the pond, alleys leading to various objectives and more. 

The wooden church erected in 1993 is an imposing one, measuring 57 meters in height, 23 meters in lenght and 12.5 meters in width, dimensions that place it in the top of the tallest wooden constructions in Europe. The building comprises two levels, namely the basement, where the large chapel of the monastery is located and the ground floor, which houses the church itself. The building with a trefoil layout and two polygonal apses consists of an altar, a nave, a narthex and a wooden porch, decorated with Maramureș motifs. Above the narthex rises the tower with turret and long spire. The walls of the basement are covered in frescoes, made by the painter Ioan Botiș, but so far the walls of the church itself have not been painted. The roof of the church has double eaves and is covered with fir wood shingles.