Manastirea Church
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Year built: 1777
Location: Mănăstirea is in the commune of Giuleşti, 16 km south of Sighetu Marmaţiei and 49 km northeast of Baia Mare.
Summary: The roof is one of the few ones in the Country of Maramureş to have only a single set of eaves. There is an inscription carved on the exterior wall of the chancel that says that Priest Pătru founded the church.
The church of the Holy Archangels is the church of the former monastery of Giuleşti. It was built before 1653, when it is mentioned in some documents, and one of the bells was cast in 1679. Dendrochronological research had dated the cutting of the logs to 1609. An inscription on an icon proves that the monastery still existed in 1777. After 1809 the monastery was closed, but the church continued as a parish church for the small community that had grown around the monastery (= mănăstirea).
The church is on a small terrace above the River Mara, with a view over the village. It is built of such thick trunks of oak that each wall is built only with four massive logs. The main body is rectangular and the chancel polygonal. The pronaos has been enlarged, closing in the former open porch.
The church was painted soon after the completion of the construction work, and it was repainted in 1783. There are still some fragments of the initial painting visible in the naos. The repainting is also of high quality, the figures and volumes drawn with finesse. Touches of white were used to highlight the bright areas in the composition. The repainting shows some similarities with the few fragments of murals that are still preserved in the church of Breb.
On the vault of the naos, three are scenes from The Genesis and from The Cycles of Christ’s Life and Christ’s Passion, such as The Good Samaritan, and The Prodigal Son. Unfortunately, many of the scenes are illegible. On the walls the theme continues, and there are such scenes as The Samaritan Woman by the Well, The Resurrection of the Son of the Widow in Nain, The Pious Women at the Tomb, and Jesus Revealing Himself to the Apostles.
On the chancel vault, there is The Virgin Mary with Jesus, with the Child Jesus depicted in a medallion at her breast.
