Maramureș Wooden Church Roofs

The wooden churches of Maramureș in northern Romania are known for roofs that dominate their buildings: a massive, steep roof that seems to dwarf the log walls beneath, and a tall, slender bell tower rising from the western end. Built between the 17th and 19th centuries, they are among the most striking examples of timber roofing in Europe.

UNESCO listing

In 1999 UNESCO inscribed eight of the churches as the Wooden Churches of Maramureș, under criterion (iv): Bârsana, Budești, Desești, Ieud Hill, Plopiș, Poienile Izei, Rogoz and Șurdești. Almost 100 wooden churches still stand in the region, roughly a third of the number recorded two centuries ago.

Roof form

• Main roof: a massive roof over the church body. Its scale gives the churches their characteristic silhouette.
• Bell tower: a tall, narrow tower at the west end topped with a needle-like spire. At Șurdești, built in the 18th century on a stone base, the church is reported to be about 72 m (236 ft) high including a spire of about 54 m (177 ft). A new wooden church at Săpânța-Peri, a few miles away, is reported to be about 75 m (246 ft) high and is often described as the tallest wooden church in the world.

Shingles

Romanian builders traditionally made roof shingles (șindrilă) of fir and fixed them to the laths with wooden pegs of yew. The two woods have different densities and respond differently to moisture, which was thought to help keep water from getting behind the shingles. In Maramureș, Moldavia and Wallachia shingle ends are traditionally rounded, while in Transylvania they are cut straight. The fan-like courses needed to cover curved and conical surfaces are harder to make watertight than straight courses.

Wider tradition

Similar roofing appears across the Carpathians: the Wooden Tserkvas of the Carpathian Region in Poland and Ukraine and the wooden churches of the Slovak Carpathians are also UNESCO-listed. In Moldavia, wooden roofs with broad eaves, up to about 2.7 m (9 ft) deep at Voroneț Monastery (1488), have helped protect painted exterior walls from the weather.

Maintenance

Shingle roofs and spires need periodic renewal. Tall spires are especially exposed to wind-driven rain and snow.