# Budești Josani Wooden Church [Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Maramureș](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/maramures) › [Maramureș County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/maramures) › [Budești](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/locality/budesti) > The 1643 Church of Saint Nicholas in the Cosău Valley, with a slender tower framed by four small turrets, paintings by Alexandru Ponehalschi and the chain mail attributed to the outlaw Pintea the Brave. A UNESCO site. [UNESCO World Heritage](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/unesco-heritage) **At a glance:** Monasteries and churches in Budești, Maramureș County. Information verified on 7 October 2026. ## Key facts - **Opening hours:** The church has no fixed visiting hours. Phone the contact person listed by Maramureș County Council in advance so they can open it for you. - **Best season:** May – October — phone ahead - **Address:** DJ186B, în centrul satului, Budești, Maramureș County - **Coordinates:** 47.73158, 23.94415 - **Phone:** +40 764 206 302 - **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bude%C8%99ti_Josani_church - **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q829483 - **Categories:** [Monasteries and churches](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/manastiri-si-biserici) ## About Budești Josani Wooden Church Budești is a large village in the Cosău Valley with two old wooden churches. The one in the lower part of the village, Josani, dedicated to Saint Nicholas, stands on a small rise in the middle of the cemetery and overlooks the village centre. The community built it in 1643, on the site of an older church; the year was carved on the portal, and dendrochronological analysis of the beams confirmed that the oaks were felled in the winter of 1642–1643. The inscription was lost in 1923, when the entrance was widened. The church follows the usual Maramureș plan, with a narthex, a nave and a sanctuary with a polygonal apse, all under one tall roof with double eaves that keep the rain off the walls. Above the narthex rises the bell tower, with an open gallery and a pointed spire framed by four small turrets, a detail rare in Maramureș and linked to the churches of the Lăpuș area. Since 1999 it has been one of the eight components of the UNESCO World Heritage site "Wooden Churches of Maramureș". It was restored in 2002. The church is also known for a legend: it keeps the chain mail and helmet attributed to Pintea the Brave (1670–1703), the Maramureș outlaw who, tradition says, brought his gear to the church himself. ### What you can see The interior was painted around 1762 by Alexandru Ponehalschi in warm, bright colours, with the saints set out in rows, like a book of miniatures; on the wall between the nave and the sanctuary you can see the Crucifixion, with rows of apostles and prophets beneath it. The sanctuary has a later, Baroque painting from 1812. The church keeps icons on wood from the 17th–18th centuries and a collection of icons on glass; one of the oldest shows Saint John the Baptist, with a Slavonic inscription. Outside, the cemetery with its wooden crosses and the old roadside shrine complete the picture. The same village also has the Budești Susani church (1760), with paintings of its own; it is not part of the UNESCO site and should not be confused with this one. ### Good to know The church has no fixed visiting hours: it is usually locked, and to see the inside you phone the parish contact person in advance, who comes and opens it. ## Don't miss - The chain mail and helmet attributed to the outlaw Pintea the Brave. - The slender tower, its spire framed by four small turrets, a rare sight in Maramureș. - Alexandru Ponehalschi's 1762 paintings, with saints set out in rows on the log walls. - The old icons on wood and glass, among them a Saint John the Baptist with a Slavonic inscription. ## Good to know before you go ### Getting there **By car:** Budești lies in the Cosău Valley, on the DJ186B. From Baia Mare the route crosses the Gutâi Pass and Cavnic, ~45 km (~1 hour); from Sighetu Marmației, via Ocna Șugatag, ~27 km (~35 minutes). The church is in the village centre, by the main road. **Public transport:** the nearest railway station is Sighetu Marmației; we could not confirm a regular connection from there to Budești, so a taxi or a car is the safer option. ### Rules This is a working parish church: dress modestly and keep quiet during services. Ask the person who opens it whether you may take photographs inside. ## Details - **Construction period:** 1643 - **Founder:** the village community - **Dedication:** Saint Nicholas - **Denomination:** Orthodox - **Architectural style:** Maramureș vernacular ## Frequently asked questions about Budești Josani Wooden Church **How do I get to Budești Josani Wooden Church?** Budești Josani Wooden Church is located at DJ186B, în centrul satului, Budești, Maramureș County. By car: Budești lies in the Cosău Valley, on the DJ186B. From Baia Mare the route crosses the Gutâi Pass and Cavnic, ~45 km (~1 hour); from Sighetu Marmației, via Ocna Șugatag, ~27 km (~35 minutes). The church is in the village centre, by the main road. Public transport: the nearest railway station is Sighetu Marmației; we could not confirm a regular connection from there to Budești, so a taxi or a car is the safer option. **When is the best time to visit Budești Josani Wooden Church?** The best season for Budești Josani Wooden Church: May – October (phone ahead). ## Nearby attractions - [Ocna Șugatag](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/ocna-sugatag) — Resorts and thermal baths · Ocna Șugatag, MM · Free · 2½ – 3 hours · 7 km A spa resort in Maramureș with salt lakes that formed on the surface above old salt mines, including Lake Gavril, 30 m deep; salt-water bathing happens in the pools of the local complexes. - [Desești Wooden Church](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/biserica-de-lemn-desesti) — Monasteries and churches · Desești, MM · UNESCO World Heritage · 11 km A wooden church from 1770 dedicated to Saint Paraskeva, painted in 1780 by Radu Munteanu with a crowded Last Judgement; one of the eight Maramureș churches on the UNESCO World Heritage List. - [Gutâi Pass](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/pasul-gutai) — Scenic roads · Maramureș County · Free · 1 – 1½ hours · 17 km The pass where the DN18 climbs in hairpins from Baia Sprie to 987 m between the Igniș and Gutâi Mountains, then drops towards Mara and the Maramureș Land, an hour from Baia Mare. - [Bârsana Wooden Church](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/biserica-de-lemn-barsana) — Monasteries and churches · Bârsana, MM · 30 min · UNESCO World Heritage · 17 km Bârsana's old wooden church, dating from 1711, stands on Jbâr Hill in an orchard full of crosses; inside is Toader Hodor's Baroque painting of 1806. A UNESCO site. - [Wooden Church of Poienile Izei](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/biserica-de-lemn-poienile-izei) — Monasteries and churches · Poienile Izei, MM · UNESCO World Heritage · 17 km An early 17th-century wooden church in the village cemetery, with the best-known depiction of Hell in Maramureș: devils, torments and village sins, painted in 1793–1794. - [Lake Mogoșa](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/lacul-mogosa) — Lakes · Baia Sprie, MM · Free · 1 – 1½ hours · 19 km A 4-hectare reservoir at 731 m in the forests of the Gutâi Mountains above the town of Baia Sprie, with a lakeside path, terrace, beach and kayaks for hire in summer, 18 km from Baia Mare. --- Full page: https://peplaiuri.ro/en/biserica-de-lemn-budesti-josani Other languages: Română: https://peplaiuri.ro/biserica-de-lemn-budesti-josani.md · Deutsch: https://peplaiuri.ro/de/biserica-de-lemn-budesti-josani.md · Italiano: https://peplaiuri.ro/it/biserica-de-lemn-budesti-josani.md Last updated: 7 October 2026 Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania