# Saint Parascheva Wooden Church in Ciocâltei [Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Oltenia](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/oltenia) › [Vâlcea County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/valcea) › [Ciocâltei](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/locality/ciocaltei) > An 18th-century wooden church dedicated to Saint Parascheva, in the village of Ciocâltei in Roești commune, with an octagonal tower, a painted façade and a concrete bell tower at the gate. **At a glance:** Monasteries and churches in Ciocâltei, Vâlcea County. The visit takes 20 min. Information verified on 20 October 2026. ## Key facts - **Opening hours:** No official visiting schedule is published. This is a parish church; to see the interior, ask at the Roești-Ciocâltei parish. - **Visit duration:** 20 min — exterior and churchyard - **With kids:** Yes — open grassy churchyard - **Parking:** Yes, free — by the road, nearby - **Best season:** May – October — summer, for the churchyard - **Address:** in the village of Ciocâltei (Roești commune), Ciocâltei, Vâlcea County - **Coordinates:** 44.9293, 24.06711 - **Wikipedia:** https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biserica_de_lemn_din_Cioc%C3%A2ltei - **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q12722153 - **Categories:** [Monasteries and churches](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/manastiri-si-biserici) ## About Saint Parascheva Wooden Church in Ciocâltei The wooden church in Ciocâltei, a village of Roești commune in the centre of Vâlcea county, is dedicated to Saint Parascheva and appears in the List of Historic Monuments (LMI code VL-II-m-B-09719). The list dates it 1759, with rebuilding in 1782 and work in the 19th century. The monograph of the commune gives 1782 as the year of construction and a renovation in 1845, while Wikipedia also gives 1898 as the year of construction; the sources do not agree on the years. The church is of timber on a brick foundation and was originally roofed with shingles; today's roof is of sheet metal. Besides the specialist literature on the wooden churches of Vâlcea (Andrei Pănoiu, Radu Crețeanu), it is also mentioned in the commune's monograph as the church of the Roești-Ciocâltei parish. ### What you can see The white church has an octagonal tower clad in sheet metal, two smaller turrets and a façade with painted medallions and saints, among them Saint Peter beside the entrance door. A modern concrete bell tower rises at the churchyard gate, with a timber lookout in which a bell hangs. The yard is a village cemetery. ### Good to know The journalist and prose writer Dem Theodorescu was born in the village in 1888. This is a parish church; no official visiting schedule is published. ## Don't miss - The octagonal tower clad in sheet metal, with two smaller turrets beside it. - The façade with painted medallions and saints, among them Saint Peter at the entrance. - The concrete bell tower at the gate, with a timber lookout and a bell. - An 18th-century historic monument, with a brick foundation and timber structure. ## Good to know before you go ### Getting there **By car:** Ciocâltei is one of the ten villages of Roești commune, in the centre of Vâlcea county; according to Wikipedia the commune lies about 45 km from Râmnicu Vâlcea. The church stands on the village's main lane. **Public transport:** no regular connection to Ciocâltei is confirmed; a car is the safer option. ### Rules This is a working parish church: dress modestly and keep quiet during services. Before photographing inside, ask the person who opens it for permission. ## Details - **Construction period:** 1759 - **Dedication:** Saint Parascheva - **Denomination:** Orthodox ## Frequently asked questions about Saint Parascheva Wooden Church in Ciocâltei **How long does a visit to Saint Parascheva Wooden Church in Ciocâltei take?** A visit to Saint Parascheva Wooden Church in Ciocâltei takes about 20 min (exterior and churchyard). **Can you visit Saint Parascheva Wooden Church in Ciocâltei with kids?** Yes, Saint Parascheva Wooden Church in Ciocâltei is suitable for children (open grassy churchyard). **Where can I park at Saint Parascheva Wooden Church in Ciocâltei?** There is free parking at Saint Parascheva Wooden Church in Ciocâltei (by the road, nearby). **How do I get to Saint Parascheva Wooden Church in Ciocâltei?** Saint Parascheva Wooden Church in Ciocâltei is located at in the village of Ciocâltei (Roești commune), Ciocâltei, Vâlcea County. By car: Ciocâltei is one of the ten villages of Roești commune, in the centre of Vâlcea county; according to Wikipedia the commune lies about 45 km from Râmnicu Vâlcea. The church stands on the village's main lane. Public transport: no regular connection to Ciocâltei is confirmed; a car is the safer option. **When is the best time to visit Saint Parascheva Wooden Church in Ciocâltei?** The best season for Saint Parascheva Wooden Church in Ciocâltei: May – October (summer, for the churchyard). ## Nearby attractions - [Saint Paraskeva Wooden Church in Băbeni (Capu Dealului)](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/biserica-de-lemn-babeni) — Monasteries and churches · Băbeni, VL · 30 min · 19 km A wooden church from the late 18th century in a hilltop cemetery in the village of Capu Dealului, with a glazed porch and a small bell tower rising from the roof. - [Băile Govora](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/baile-govora) — Resorts and thermal baths · Băile Govora, VL · Free · 2 – 2½ hours · 25 km A spa resort in the Vâlcea foothills, with iodine, bromine and sulphur waters, a spa park laid out in 1912 and the Palace Hotel designed by Ernest Doneaud. - [Greceanu Kula](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cula-greceanu-maldaresti) — Fortresses and fortifications · Măldărești, VL · 30 min · 28 km The oldest kula of the Măldărești museum complex, a boyar tower from the 16th century completed in the 18th, with arcaded porches and an upper floor laid out as an Oltenian minor boyar's court. - [Cula Duca](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cula-duca-maldaresti) — Fortresses and fortifications · Măldărești, VL · 45 min · 28 km An Oltenian fortified tower-house from 1812–1827, with a massive ground floor and a decorated veranda, built by the Măldărescu family and bought in 1910 by I.G. Duca; now part of the Măldărești Museum Complex near Horezu. - [Wooden Church of St John the Baptist in Zătreni](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/biserica-de-lemn-zatreni) — Monasteries and churches · Zătreni, VL · 20 min · 33 km A boyar wooden church of 1756, founded by the Zătreanu family, with a broad shingle roof, an open porch and a richly carved, gilded iconostasis. - [Ocnele Mari Salt Mine](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/salina-ocnele-mari) — Salt mines · Ocnele Mari, VL · 60 lei · 2 – 2½ hours · Top 100 · 34 km A working salt mine near Râmnicu Vâlcea that you enter by bus through a tunnel: huge galleries with swirling salt walls, sports courts, an ice rink and the country's largest underground church. --- Full page: https://peplaiuri.ro/en/biserica-de-lemn-ciocaltei Other languages: Română: https://peplaiuri.ro/biserica-de-lemn-ciocaltei.md · Deutsch: https://peplaiuri.ro/de/biserica-de-lemn-ciocaltei.md · Italiano: https://peplaiuri.ro/it/biserica-de-lemn-ciocaltei.md · Français: https://peplaiuri.ro/fr/biserica-de-lemn-ciocaltei.md Last updated: 20 October 2026 Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania