Ieud Hill Wooden Church
Ieud, Maramureș County · Maramureș
About Ieud Hill Wooden Church
At a glance: Monasteries and churches in Ieud, Maramureș County. Information verified on 7 October 2026.
Ieud is a large village in the valley of the stream of the same name, a few kilometres from the Iza Valley, with two old wooden churches. The older one stands on a rocky slope in the middle of the cemetery, hence its name: the church on the hill. Village tradition, started by the vicar Tit Bud in 1911, dated it to 1364 and linked it to Voivode Balc, lord of Ieud. Dendrochronological analysis carried out in 1997, during the last restoration, showed however that the beams were felled in 1611–1621, when the church was built by the noble Balea family. Even so, it is one of the oldest wooden churches surviving in Maramureș.
From the outside it is austere: a body of spruce logs on oak sills, with no porch, under a tall shingle roof with double eaves and a bell tower above the narthex, repaired in 1827. In 1921 the village priest found the Ieud Codex in its attic, a religious manuscript counted among the oldest texts written in Romanian; its dating is disputed, and the original is kept at the Library of the Romanian Academy. Since 1999 the church has been one of the eight components of the UNESCO World Heritage site "Wooden Churches of Maramureș".
What you can see
The interior is entirely covered in paintings, attributed to the Maramureș church painter Alexandru Ponehalschi and made in the second half of the 18th century, after the renovation of 1764–1765; they were restored in 2007–2009. In the narthex, where the women stood, the Last Judgement is painted, with sinners consumed by flames, and arched openings in the wall look through to the nave. The nave has a high vault, as tall as the nave is wide, and the sanctuary wall is taken up by the painted iconostasis, with the Crucifixion at the top and rows of apostles and prophets beneath. The church also keeps many old icons, a good number of them also painted by Ponehalschi. Outside, in the cemetery ringed by a stone wall, you can see the wooden bell tower in one corner of the enclosure and the 14 small masonry shrines of the Way of the Cross, from the early 20th century.
Good to know
The village has a second wooden church with the same dedication, the Ieud Șes (valley) church, built around 1718 about half a kilometre to the west: it is a listed historic monument but not part of the UNESCO site. The church on the hill has no fixed opening hours; it is usually locked, and to visit you phone the contact person in advance.
- The Last Judgement painted on the narthex walls, with sinners consumed by flames.
- The iconostasis painted by Alexandru Ponehalschi, with the Crucifixion above rows of apostles and prophets.
- The attic where the Ieud Codex was found in 1921.
- The cemetery with its wooden crosses, the separate bell tower and the small masonry shrines of the Way of the Cross.
Good to know before you go
- Getting there
By car: from Sighetu Marmației take the DN18 to Vadu Izei, then the DJ186 up the Iza Valley through Bârsana and Rozavlea; for Ieud you leave the main road before Bogdan Vodă. It is ~45 km (~1 hour). Baia Mare is ~90 km away (~1 hour 45 minutes), over the Gutâi Pass. The church is on the hill above the road through the village.
Public transport: the nearest railway station is Sighetu Marmației; we could not confirm a regular connection from there to Ieud, so a taxi or 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 photos inside.
Frequently asked questions about Ieud Hill Wooden Church
- How do I get to Ieud Hill Wooden Church?
- Ieud Hill Wooden Church is located at no. 957, on the hill by the DJ186C road, Ieud, Maramureș County. By car: from Sighetu Marmației take the DN18 to Vadu Izei, then the DJ186 up the Iza Valley through Bârsana and Rozavlea; for Ieud you leave the main road before Bogdan Vodă. It is ~45 km (~1 hour). Baia Mare is ~90 km away (~1 hour 45 minutes), over the Gutâi Pass. The church is on the hill above the road through the village. Public transport: the nearest railway station is Sighetu Marmației; we could not confirm a regular connection from there to Ieud, so a taxi or car is the safer option.
- When is the best time to visit Ieud Hill Wooden Church?
- The best season for Ieud Hill Wooden Church: May – October (phone ahead).
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