# Wooden Church of Poienile Izei

[Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Maramureș](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/maramures) › [Maramureș County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/maramures) › [Poienile Izei](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/locality/poienile-izei)

> 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.

[UNESCO World Heritage](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/unesco-heritage)

**At a glance:** Monasteries and churches in Poienile Izei, Maramureș County. Information verified on 7 October 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** The parish does not publish visiting hours; ask in the village or at the parish before you go. The interior has no electricity and can only be seen in daylight.
- **Best season:** May – October — the interior relies on daylight
- **Address:** no. 210, in the village cemetery, Poienile Izei, Maramureș County
- **Coordinates:** 47.69894, 24.11342
- **Phone:** +40 726 387 120
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Parascheva_Church,_Poienile_Izei
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16735831
- **Categories:** [Monasteries and churches](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/manastiri-si-biserici)

## About Wooden Church of Poienile Izei

The Church of Saint Paraskeva stands in the hillside cemetery of Poienile Izei, in a side valley of the Iza. It was built by the village community in the early 17th century, although the exact year is uncertain: parish histories give 1602 or 1604, while an antimension with a Slavonic inscription, found beneath the altar table, points to a consecration in 1632. The square sanctuary, set back from the nave, and the old log joints preserve the shape of churches from before the 18th century, when the walls were raised and given the double-tiered roof. The porch was added in the 19th century.

The church is famous for its paintings, made in 1793–1794 by a local artist named in an inscription discovered in 2020 as Gheorghe of Dragomirești. The style blends Maramureș tradition with Western influences, with figures dressed in the costumes of the day. 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

In the narthex, the Last Judgement covers almost every wall, and Hell spreads across the north wall up to the reptilian head of the Leviathan, breathing fire. The punishments are painted with dark humour and with the sins of village life: the liar hanged by his tongue, the woman who stole "the cows' blessing" (their milk), devils playing the fiddle. Beside them are the four winds of the Apocalypse, the resurrection of the dead and crowds of sinners dressed as Turks, Tatars and "Moors". In the nave, the walls are devoted to the Passion, with unusually brutal scenes, and the Crucifixion includes a pelican feeding its chicks with its own blood. The royal doors are carved from lime wood, with grapevines and the Tree of Jesse. Outside, below the cross on the tower, there is a metal crescent which, according to legend, protected the church from the Tatars in 1717.

### Good to know

The church has no electricity, so the paintings can only be seen by the daylight coming through the small windows. The parish does not publish visiting hours; ask in the village or at the parish before you go.

## Don't miss

- Hell on the north wall of the narthex, ending in the fire-breathing jaws of the Leviathan.
- The scenes of village sins: the liar hanged by his tongue and the woman who stole "the cows' blessing".
- The pelican feeding its chicks with its own blood, painted in the Crucifixion scene in the nave.
- The royal doors carved from lime wood, with grapevines and the Tree of Jesse.
- The metal crescent below the cross on the tower, linked to the legend of the 1717 Tatar raid.

## Good to know before you go

### Getting there

**By car:** Sighetu Marmației is ~38 km away (~1 hour): take the DN18 to Vadu Izei, then follow the Iza valley on the DJ186 and county roads to the village. Baia Mare is ~80 km away (~1 hour 40 minutes), over the Gutâi Pass. The church is in the hillside cemetery of the village.

**Public transport:** the nearest railway station is in Sighetu Marmației; we found no confirmed regular connection to Poienile Izei, so the easiest way to cover the rest of the journey is by car or taxi.

### Rules

The church is an active Orthodox place of worship: dress modestly and keep quiet during services. The paintings are fragile, so do not touch the walls.

### Facilities

no electricity in the church

## Details

- **Construction period:** early 17th century
- **Founder:** the village community
- **Dedication:** Saint Paraskeva
- **Denomination:** Orthodox
- **Architectural style:** traditional Maramureș

## Frequently asked questions about Wooden Church of Poienile Izei

**How do I get to Wooden Church of Poienile Izei?**

Wooden Church of Poienile Izei is located at no. 210, in the village cemetery, Poienile Izei, Maramureș County. By car: Sighetu Marmației is ~38 km away (~1 hour): take the DN18 to Vadu Izei, then follow the Iza valley on the DJ186 and county roads to the village. Baia Mare is ~80 km away (~1 hour 40 minutes), over the Gutâi Pass. The church is in the hillside cemetery of the village. Public transport: the nearest railway station is in Sighetu Marmației; we found no confirmed regular connection to Poienile Izei, so the easiest way to cover the rest of the journey is by car or taxi.

**When is the best time to visit Wooden Church of Poienile Izei?**

The best season for Wooden Church of Poienile Izei: May – October (the interior relies on daylight).

## Nearby attractions

- [Ieud Hill Wooden Church](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/biserica-de-lemn-ieud-deal) — Monasteries and churches · Ieud, MM · UNESCO World Heritage · 12 km
  The Church of the Nativity of the Virgin on Ieud's rocky hillside, built in 1611–1621, painted inside by Alexandru Ponehalschi and the place where the Ieud Codex was found. A UNESCO site.
- [Budești Josani Wooden Church](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/biserica-de-lemn-budesti-josani) — Monasteries and churches · Budești, MM · UNESCO World Heritage · 17 km
  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.
- [Bârsana Wooden Church](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/biserica-de-lemn-barsana) — Monasteries and churches · Bârsana, MM · 30 min · UNESCO World Heritage · 18 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.
- [Ocna Șugatag](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/ocna-sugatag) — Resorts and thermal baths · Ocna Șugatag, MM · Free · 2½ – 3 hours · 21 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 · 27 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 · 32 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.

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Last updated: 7 October 2026
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