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Horia Mitrofan
MURAL PAINTINGS
IN OLD TRANSYLVANIAN
WOODEN CHURCHES
The first Romanian scholar (and for almost 40 years - until the late
nineteen-sixties - the sole one !) who expressed interest in the wooden
churches of this region has been… a mathematician: Atanasie Popa from
Cluj. His papers revealed the art, utterly ignored before him, of an ancient
Romanian painting “quadruplet of aces“: Ioan Pop from Unguraşi, Iosif
Perso, priest of Elciu, Urs Broină, priest of Ştoboru, and above all, the
unparalleled Dimitrie Ispas from Gilău.
Nonetheless, 15 more painters at least - many of which remained
anonymous - seem to have been integrated in this fine arts movement.
One must not forget that in many instances, the churches we are
speaking about occur in isolated rural communities, within areas for
which poverty is a rather general standard, far away from the
traditional tourist roads of Romania. Still their bell-towers bold
appearance on hill-tops seems to epitomize the Romanian peasant’s
dignity, pride and sense of beauty.
The best preserved edifices are, as a general rule, those where
religious service is still held. Others are conserved and looked after
like small museums of the village, even though only few people come
to visit them during one year: many such visitors are foreigners,
much more interested and better informed about Romania’s cultural
and artistic heritage.
Unfortunately, there are also instances when the shingle is damaged,
the roof is broken and rainfall wrecks out, year after year, paintings
whose original gleam will never recover.
Transilvania rămâne - în ciuda tuturor vicisitudinilor Transylvania remains – beyond all recorded detrimental
enumerate - singurul teritoriu al Europei unde se mai circumstances – the only territory of Europe where tens of
păstrează încă zeci de biserici din lemn pictate în perioada wooden churches painted during the 18th and the 19th
secolelor al XVIII-lea şi al XIX-lea. centuries are still preserved.
Acestui fenomen plastic par să-i lipsească totuşi, cel puţin Yet - at least for the moment being - this art phenomenon
deocamdată, nişte punţi de comunicare: între publicul din seems to lack some efficient communication channels:
zilele noastre şi vechii zugravi cu viziunile lor adeseori between the public of our time, and the old masters, whose
contrariante. visions are sometimes so disconcerting.
Iar umilii autori ai acestui album - nimerindu-se pe undeva pe As for the humble authors of this album – who happened to
la mijloc - „s-au riscat” să încerce să facă oficiul de P.R. be, by chance, somewhere in-between – they only ventured
to attempt taking up a P.R. position.
Nu se cunosc nici numele autorului picturii The date of the painting and the artist name
murale, nici data execuţiei acesteia. are unknown
CUBLEŞU
Data construcţiei: secolul al XVIII-lea Wooden church built in the 18th century
Data construcţiei: 1753 (apare ca inscripţie Wooden church built in the year 1753
pe masa de piatră a altarului) (date carved on the stone slab of the altar)
Pictura murală realizată de Ioan Pop din Mural painting by Ioan Pop from
Unguraşi în anul 1800 Unguraşi, 1800
Nu se cunosc nici autorul, nici data The author and the date of the nave and
execuţiei picturii murale din naos. Pereţii iconostasis painting are unknown. The
altarului şi ai pronaosului au fost pictaţi de narthex and the chancel walls have been
Dimitrie Ispas din Gilău în anul 1824. painted by Dimitrie Ispas from Gilău in 1824.
Data construcţiei: secolul al XVIII-lea Wooden church built in the 18th century
Data construcţiei incertă (1764?); adusă Wooden church whose building date is
pe actualul amplasament în anul 1802 uncertain (1764?). Transferred
to the current location in 1802
Pictura murală realizată în anul 1802
de Dimitrie Ispas din Gilău Mural painting by Dimitrie Ispas from Gilău
şi de Ştefan and by Ştefan, 1802
Data construcţiei: secolul al XVIII-lea Wooden church built in the 18th century
Nu se cunosc nici numele autorului picturii The date of the painting and the artist name
murale, nici data execuţiei acesteia. are unknown
Data construcţiei: secolul al XVIII-lea Wooden church built in the 18th century
Pictura murală a fost realizată, cel puţin în At least part of the mural painting dates back to
parte, undeva între anii 1793-1811. În naos şi the period 1793 - 1811. Two different artists,
respectiv în pronaos au lucrat doi zugravi both unknown, have painted the nave and the
diferiţi, ambii rămaşi anonimi. Pictura din narthex walls respectively. The style of the nave
naos prezintă un stil puternic influenţat de paintings bears many similarities to that of
cel al zugravului Radu Munteanu din Radu Munteanu from Ungureni.
Ungureni.
Historical monument, code MM-II-m-A-04568
Monument istoric, cod MM-II-m-A-04568
Data construcţiei: 1671; adusă pe actualul Wooden church built in the year 1671
amplasament în anul 1811 Transferred to the current location in 1811
Data construcţiei: 1663, înlocuind o biserică mai Wooden church built in 1663, in order to replace
veche incendiată cu doi ani înainte de către the one burned by Tartars two years before.
năvălitorii tătari.
The church walls have been painted in 1785 by
Pictura murală realizată în anul 1785 de către Radu Munteanu from Ungureni, assisted by
Radu Munteanu din Ungureni, asistat de Nicolae Man from Poiana Porcului. Additional
Nicolae Man de la Poiana Porcului. A mai interventions were made by an unknown painter in
intervenit, în anul 1834, un pictor rămas 1834.
anonim.
Historical monument, code MM-II-m-A-04618
Monument istoric, cod MM-II-m-A-04618
Judeţul MARAMUREŞ MARAMUREŞ county
Răstignirea The Crucifixion
Răstignirea. Detaliu The Crucifixion. Detail
Adam şi Eva – Păcatul originar Adam and Eve - the temptation of the
serpent
Adam şi Eva sunt izgoniţi din rai The Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise
Adam şi Eva muncind pe pământ Adam and Eve labor for their
food
UNGURENI
Data construcţiei: secolul al XVIII-lea Wooden church built in the 18th century
Cea mai mare parte a picturii murale (întreg Most of the mural painting (that of the nave and
naosul şi o parte din pronaos) a fost realizată of some parts of the narthex) has been
de către popa Ion, înaintea anului 1782. În completed by the priest Ion before 1782.
pictura pronaosului au mai intervenit ulterior Subsequent painting of the narthex has been
Radu Munteanu din Ungureni (în 1782) şi completed by Radu Munteanu from Ungureni (in
Buda Procopie (pe la 1824-1826). 1782) and by Buda Procopie (around 1824-
1826).
Monument istoric, cod MM-II-m-A-04788
Historical monument, code MM-II-m-A-04788
Judeţul MARAMUREŞ MARAMUREŞ county
Învierea – Pogorârea în iad
The Resurrection – Anastasis
(Descent into Limbo)
Heruvim Cherubim
Lupta lui David cu Goliat
David slaying Goliath
BUNGARD
Nu se cunosc nici numele autorului picturii The date of the painting and the artist name
murale, nici data execuţiei acesteia. are unknown
RUNCU SALVEI
Zaharie Apitis din Sineft este menţionat Reportedly, the author of the original
drept autor al picturii murale originale. painting is Zacharias Apitis from Sineft.
Pictura actuală este rezultatul intervenţiei The present-day painting is due to the
zugravului Vasile Hojda în anul 1784. intervention of Vasile Hojda, in 1784.
BĂIŢA
Data construcţiei: secolul al XIX-lea Wooden church built in the 19th century
Pictura murală realizată în anul 1834, Mural painting dating from 1834. From the
din semnătura pictorului se mai painter’s signature, only the name of its
cunoşte doar “...de la Feisa”. place of origin, “Feisa”, has been preserved.
DÂMBĂU
Data construcţiei: secolul al XVIII-lea Wooden church built in the 18th century
Pictura murală realizată de Pop Nicolae Zugrav, 1796 Mural painting by Pop Nicolae, 1796
OROIU
Data construcţiei: 1784 (an inscripţionat Wooden church built in the year 1784 (date indicated
pe ambele ancadramente de uşi) by inscriptions carved on both door frames)
Nu se cunosc nici numele autorului The date of the painting and the artist name are
picturii murale, nici data execuţiei acesteia unknown
PORUMBENI
Nu se cunosc nici numele autorului picturii The date of the painting and the artist name
murale, nici data execuţiei acesteia. are unknown