# Cuvioasa Paraschiva Wooden Church in Târgu Ocna

[Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Moldavia](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/moldova) › [Bacău County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/bacau) › [Târgu Ocna](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/city/targu-ocna)

> A 17th-century wooden church, rebuilt in 1725 for the salt-mine workers and convicts of Târgu Ocna, with an iconostasis painted in 1833 and a bell tower with a bulb-shaped spire.

**At a glance:** Monasteries and churches in Târgu Ocna, Bacău County. The visit takes 20 min. Information verified on 20 October 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** No visiting schedule is published. This is a parish church; the interior may be locked outside services. The exterior can be seen from the cemetery.
- **Visit duration:** 20 min — exterior and grounds; estimate
- **Address:** Strada Gheorghe Doja 1, Târgu Ocna, Bacău County
- **Coordinates:** 46.28381, 26.6023
- **Wikipedia:** https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biserica_de_lemn_Cuvioasa_Paraschiva_din_T%C3%A2rgu_Ocna
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q25459645
- **Categories:** [Monasteries and churches](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/manastiri-si-biserici)

## About Cuvioasa Paraschiva Wooden Church in Târgu Ocna

The Cuvioasa Paraschiva wooden church, also called the Princely Church (Biserica Domnească), stands in a cemetery in Târgu Ocna, in the valley of the Vâlcele stream, less than 500 m from the salt mine. It was built in the 17th century on the site of an older wooden place of worship and served as a house of prayer for the mine workers and convicts. A small infirmary for them was later set up around it.

In 1725 the church was rebuilt almost entirely by the mine's chamberlain, Dediu Codreanu, father-in-law of Prince Mihai Racoviță. Other interventions are recorded around 1800 and in 1833, when the iconostasis was renewed with money from Tănase Gheorghiu and the priest Ioan Brătescu, as an inscription on a deacon's door records. After the 1977 earthquake a concrete foundation was poured on the north side of the plinth and several decayed logs were replaced. The ensemble, with the church and its 19th-century bell tower, is a historic monument (LMI code BC-II-a-B-00907).

### What you can see

The church is built of oak logs joined at the corners with straight notches, on a river-stone foundation. The roof, originally of wooden shingles, is now sheet metal, and the side windows have ogee-shaped frames. On the west side rises the bell tower, with a bulb-shaped spire. Inside, the walls are lined with fir boards and the space is divided into sanctuary, nave and narthex. The iconostasis has painted registers; the oldest icon, of Saint Nicholas, is dated 1677.

### Good to know

This is a parish church, and no visiting schedule appears in the sources consulted. The exterior can be seen from the cemetery. A 2014 article says the timber needs consolidation, and that recovering the roof with shingles was only proposed for lack of funds; no works or closures appear in sources from recent years. Do not confuse it with the wooden church of Saint George, in the Tisești district, which is a different monument.

## Don't miss

- The oak-log church with ogee-shaped windows, on a river-stone plinth.
- The wooden bell tower on the west side, with a bulb-shaped spire.
- The iconostasis painted in 1833, with an icon of Saint Nicholas dated 1677.
- The Târgu Ocna Salt Mine less than 500 m away, for a combined visit.

## Good to know before you go

### Getting there

**By car:** the church is in Târgu Ocna, on Strada Gheorghe Doja, in a cemetery less than 500 m from the entrance to the salt mine. Târgu Ocna is in Bacău county.

**Public transport:** no direct connection to the church has been verified; from the town centre it can be reached on foot or by car.

### Rules

This is a parish church in a cemetery: dress modestly and keep quiet, especially during services. Before photographing inside, ask the person who opens it for permission.

## Details

- **Construction period:** 17th century
- **Dedication:** Saint Paraskeva
- **Denomination:** Orthodox

## Frequently asked questions about Cuvioasa Paraschiva Wooden Church in Târgu Ocna

**How long does a visit to Cuvioasa Paraschiva Wooden Church in Târgu Ocna take?**

A visit to Cuvioasa Paraschiva Wooden Church in Târgu Ocna takes about 20 min (exterior and grounds; estimate).

**How do I get to Cuvioasa Paraschiva Wooden Church in Târgu Ocna?**

Cuvioasa Paraschiva Wooden Church in Târgu Ocna is located at Strada Gheorghe Doja 1, Târgu Ocna, Bacău County. By car: the church is in Târgu Ocna, on Strada Gheorghe Doja, in a cemetery less than 500 m from the entrance to the salt mine. Târgu Ocna is in Bacău county. Public transport: no direct connection to the church has been verified; from the town centre it can be reached on foot or by car.

## Nearby attractions

- [Târgu Ocna Salt Mine](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/salina-targu-ocna) — Salt mines · Târgu Ocna, BC · 60 lei · 1½ – 2 hours · 1 km
  One of Moldavia's oldest salt mines, still being worked: a bus takes you through a tunnel over 3 km long to 240 m below ground, to a salt church, a lake with a waterfall and sports courts.
- [Slănic-Moldova](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/slanic-moldova) — Resorts and thermal baths · Slănic-Moldova, BC · Free · 2½ – 3 hours · Top 100 · 20 km
  A spa resort more than two centuries old in a narrow valley of the Nemira Mountains: numbered mineral springs you drink from for free, a park with shaded paths and the 1894 Art Nouveau Casino.
- [Cașin Monastery](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/manastirea-casin) — Monasteries and churches · Mănăstirea Cașin, BC · 45 min · 21 km
  A foundation of Prince Gheorghe Ștefan from 1655–1657: a dressed-stone church inside a walled enclosure with towers, near Onești; today a parish church.
- [Putna Waterfall](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cascada-putnei) — Waterfalls · Lepșa, VN · 2 lei · 45 min · 51 km
  A series of steps and potholes where the Putna river drops 14 m over about 80 m between sandstone walls, near Lepșa; a nature reserve since 1973, minutes from the DN2D.
- [Adorján Imre Manor](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/conacul-adorjan-imre) — Castles and palaces · Armășeni, HR · 45 min · 65 km
  A Székely noble house in Armășeni with a vaulted cellar and a wooden gate from 1828, a listed monument restored and reopened in 2021.
- [Roman Catholic Church of St George in Ciucsângeorgiu](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/biserica-romano-catolica-sf-gheorghe-ciucsangeorgiu) — Monasteries and churches · Ciucsângeorgiu, HR · 30 min · 65 km
  A Gothic church of the 14th–16th centuries, protected by a fortified wall with loopholes and a gate tower, in the centre of a village in Lower Ciuc. One of the largest medieval churches in the area.

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Last updated: 20 October 2026
Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania