Wooden Church at Chiesd, Romania

The Church of Archangels Michael and Gabriel at Chiesd was constructed around 1800, replacing an older wooden church. This is one of the most elaborately decorated wooden churches in Salaj County and has an unusual plan: while the pronaos and naos are housed within a rectangular space, the altar is set within an apsidal chamber. A renovation of the building in the early 20th century included covering the wooden roof with tin panels. The mid-section of the exterior wall is decorated by a carved rope motif, as if packaging a Christmas gift. Intermittently, on the long walls and apse are stylized crosses with arched tops. The door is framed by three concentric rope motifs; the door itself is rectangular with a small arched protrusion at the top. The surface of the exterior was painted in a deep blue, traces of which are still visible.

The interior is highly ornate and another unusual feature of the church is an arched ceiling. In addition to the many icons, the walls bear an important painting cycle. Highlights of the cycle include a crucifixion scene in an urban setting with buildings that blend Greco-Roman and Austro-Hungarian traits, a Pantocrater, as well as images of the Archangels, saints, Jonah and the whale, and a large fresh water fish directing visitors to the interior of the steeple.
(composed 2015 for website of Transylvania Alive Association for Cultural Heritage)

Wooden Church at Chiesd (photo Eric De Sena, 2015).