# Saint Nicholas Wooden Church Ensemble in Colacu [Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Bukovina](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/bucovina) › [Suceava County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/suceava) › [Colacu](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/locality/colacu) > An unpainted wooden church of around 1800 with three small turrets, on the bank of the Moldova, beside its bell tower and the grave of mayor Traian Popovici. **At a glance:** Monasteries and churches in Colacu, Suceava County. The visit takes 30 min. Information verified on 13 October 2026. ## Key facts - **Opening hours:** No official visiting schedule was found. This is a parish church; to see the interior, ask at the Colacu parish. - **Visit duration:** 30 min — churchyard and exterior only - **With kids:** Yes — open grassy churchyard - **Parking:** Yes, free — by the roadside - **Best season:** May – October — summer, for the road and the churchyard - **Address:** DJ175, în satul Colacu, Colacu, Suceava County - **Coordinates:** 47.53856, 25.36599 - **Wikipedia:** https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biserica_de_lemn_din_Colacu - **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q18539097 - **Categories:** [Monasteries and churches](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/manastiri-si-biserici) ## About Saint Nicholas Wooden Church Ensemble in Colacu Colacu is a village in the Moldova valley, in Fundu Moldovei commune, and its wooden church, dedicated to Saint Nicholas, can be seen from the county road. It was built around 1800 on the foundation of a smaller church, whose iconostasis survives. The founder was the archpriest Gavril Ciupercovici, who is buried in the churchyard, and the builders named in historical sources are Ioniță and Gheorghe Șalvariu. A bell from 1810 and an iconostasis painted in 1818 are further marks of its age. The structure is made of fir logs joined with dovetails, on a river-stone plinth, and the walls are lined with boards. The plan is cross-shaped, with side apses, and three octagonal turrets rise from the shingle roof along the axis of the church. The wide eaves rest on horse-head brackets. The building is neither plastered nor painted, inside or out, so bare wood is visible everywhere. The ensemble is a historic monument (LMI code SV-II-a-A-05522) and includes the church, the bell tower and a parish house. The church was restored in 1972–1974 and in 1997, when it was also reconsecrated. ### What you can see The churchyard, enclosed by a wooden fence typical of Bukovina, is entered beneath the wooden bell tower. Among the 19th-century gravestones, some with Cyrillic inscriptions, lies the grave of Traian Popovici (1892–1946), mayor of Cernăuți during the Second World War, who saved some 20,000 Jews of Bukovina from deportation. Beside the old church stands the village's new masonry church. A house in the ensemble was turned into a museum in 1997. ### Good to know No official visiting schedule is published in the sources consulted: this is a parish church and may be locked outside services. The churchyard can be seen from the road. ## Don't miss - The unpainted fir-log church, with three octagonal turrets under shingle. - The wooden bell tower through which the churchyard is entered. - The grave of Traian Popovici, the mayor of Cernăuți who saved some 20,000 Jews. - The old crosses and gravestones with Cyrillic inscriptions. ## Good to know before you go ### Getting there **By car:** Colacu lies on the DJ175, in Fundu Moldovei commune, on the left bank of the Moldova river, about 14 km as the crow flies west of Câmpulung Moldovenesc. The church stands right by the road. **Public transport:** no regular connection to Colacu 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:** around 1800 - **Founder:** archpriest Gavril Ciupercovici - **Dedication:** Saint Nicholas - **Denomination:** Orthodox - **Architectural style:** Bukovinian ## Frequently asked questions about Saint Nicholas Wooden Church Ensemble in Colacu **How long does a visit to Saint Nicholas Wooden Church Ensemble in Colacu take?** A visit to Saint Nicholas Wooden Church Ensemble in Colacu takes about 30 min (churchyard and exterior only). **Can you visit Saint Nicholas Wooden Church Ensemble in Colacu with kids?** Yes, Saint Nicholas Wooden Church Ensemble in Colacu is suitable for children (open grassy churchyard). **Where can I park at Saint Nicholas Wooden Church Ensemble in Colacu?** There is free parking at Saint Nicholas Wooden Church Ensemble in Colacu (by the roadside). **How do I get to Saint Nicholas Wooden Church Ensemble in Colacu?** Saint Nicholas Wooden Church Ensemble in Colacu is located at DJ175, în satul Colacu, Colacu, Suceava County. By car: Colacu lies on the DJ175, in Fundu Moldovei commune, on the left bank of the Moldova river, about 14 km as the crow flies west of Câmpulung Moldovenesc. The church stands right by the road. Public transport: no regular connection to Colacu is confirmed; a car is the safer option. **When is the best time to visit Saint Nicholas Wooden Church Ensemble in Colacu?** The best season for Saint Nicholas Wooden Church Ensemble in Colacu: May – October (summer, for the road and the churchyard). ## Nearby attractions - [Transrarău](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/transrarau) — Scenic roads · Suceava County · Free · 1½ – 2 hours · Top 100 · 21 km A paved road over the Rarău Mountains between Pojorâta and Chiril, with 28 km of hairpins beneath the Pietrele Doamnei rocks and views over the mountains of Bukovina. - [Moldovița Monastery](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/manastirea-moldovita) — Monasteries and churches · Vatra Moldoviței, SV · 1 – 1½ hours · UNESCO World Heritage · 26 km Founded by Petru Rareș in 1532, with a church painted on the outside in shades of yellow and blue and the famous Siege of Constantinople fresco; a UNESCO site in Bukovina. - [Vatra Dornei](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/vatra-dornei) — Resorts and thermal baths · Vatra Dornei, SV · Free · 2½ – 3 hours · Top 100 · 28 km A spa resort more than two centuries old in the Dorna Depression: carbonated springs, peat mud, a park full of squirrels and the Spa Casino, restored and reopened as a museum. - [Ciumârna Pass](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/pasul-ciumarna) — Scenic roads · Suceava County · Free · ½ – 1 hours · 39 km The ~1,100 m pass where the DN17A crosses the Obcina Mare ridge between Vatra Moldoviței and Sucevița, with hairpins through spruce forest, wide views over the Bukovina hills and the road builders' “Palm” monument. - [Sucevița Monastery](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/manastirea-sucevita) — Monasteries and churches · Sucevița, SV · 1 – 1½ hours · UNESCO World Heritage · 48 km The Movilă family's fortified monastery, built in the 1580s among the hills of Bukovina, with a church painted almost entirely inside and out and the famous "Ladder of Virtues"; a UNESCO site. - [Humor Monastery](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/manastirea-humor) — Monasteries and churches · Mănăstirea Humorului, SV · ½ – 1 hours · UNESCO World Heritage · 48 km The church built in 1530 by chancellor Toader Bubuiog under Petru Rareș, painted outside in shades of red, with an open porch and Vasile Lupu's tower; a UNESCO site. --- Full page: https://peplaiuri.ro/en/biserica-de-lemn-colacu Other languages: Română: https://peplaiuri.ro/biserica-de-lemn-colacu.md · Deutsch: https://peplaiuri.ro/de/biserica-de-lemn-colacu.md · Italiano: https://peplaiuri.ro/it/biserica-de-lemn-colacu.md Last updated: 13 October 2026 Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania