ROMANIA – wooden churches rescued via civil society mobilization

The president of Pro Patrimonio France, Caroline d’Assay, reported on the successful mobilization of civil society members, who contributed to rescuing wooden churches in Transylvania (a topic we reported on last November in this article).

Dating back to the 16th to 19th centuries, these churches have been abandoned in recent decades due to their small capacity and lack of amenities like electricity and heating. While the cultural importance of these buildings is recognized by  the Orthodox Church of Romania and the Ministry of Culture, neither have the means to conserve and maintain them. The Pro Patrimonio Foundation, in tandem with the National Architect Order, have enlisted the help of the communities, thus enabling emergency restoration work on 20 churches despite extremely modest means. “We are now being contacted by other groups for advice and reports on our experience”, D’Assay writes. In reply to this demand, for every church saved, a description of the work and inventory are being published. The work is also being documented via 3D online tours such as this one.

A list of some 60 more churches to be rescued remains. Read the full article here.