Wooden church (Șurdești)

The Greek-Catholic wooden church in Șurdeşti “Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel” ( ro. Biserica de lemn din Șurdeşti “Sf. Arhangheli Mihail şi Gavril” ) is in Șurdeşti , Maramureş district , Romania .

The wooden church was built by Ion Macarie in 1721 . The shingle roof with the four corner towers taken over from Transylvania is 54 m high above the ground. With the central pointed helmet, it has a total height of 72 meters. Until 2003, it was the tallest church in the world, made entirely of oak without metal nails. Since 1999 it has been one of the wooden churches in Maramureș , which has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and is a listed building.

The church is covered all around by a good protection against rain, snow and sun giving double eaves. At the entrance she has an open veranda with an opening into the anteroom (narthex) previously intended for women. Above is the tower. It was not until 1932 that openings for a better view of the interior of the church (naos) and of the iconostasis were cut out on both sides of the passage.

Inside, the church was built on the walls by various masters since the end of the 18th century. fully painted. Among other things, a Last Judgment, Jacob's ladder, the journey of the ancient prophet Eli on a chariot of fire to heaven and the iconostasis should be mentioned.

The representations of the cross with a crescent moon lying on the roof, the rope twisted from wood under the windows around the church and the wooden chandelier inside are also artistically remarkable.

The church is surrounded by an old cemetery.