Archangels' wooden church in Borșa de Jos, Romanian Orthodox wooden church in Borșa de Jos, Maramureș County, Romania.
The Archangels' wooden church in Borșa de Jos is a timber church with a polygonal recessed apse, a rectangular nave under a raised semi-cylindrical vault, and a flat-ceilinged pronaos topped by a square bell tower with an arcaded gallery and slender spire. A double-eaved shingle roof covers the building, and an open two-level porch with carved arches and a parapet of perforated boards stands on the west facade.
The church dates from 1700 and was rebuilt after 1717, when the earlier wooden church was damaged in the Tatar invasion; locals led by the Greek-Catholic priest Lupu Șandor fought on 4 September 1717 at a spot still called Preluca Tătarilor. It is listed as historic monument MM-II-m-A-04527.
The church is dedicated to the Archangels Michael and Gabriel, and its interior paintings were made in 1775 by an anonymous master whose style differs from the rest of Maramureș. The iconostasis has imperial icons and heart-shaped medallions with prophets; in 1800 the damaged eastern end was covered with cloth and paper and repainted. A carved wooden candlestick and gilded icons on wood are kept inside.
The church stands in the central part of Borșa, in the lower part of the town, not in a separate village; the sources give no street name, so ask locally for the wooden church of the Holy Archangels. It is an active place of worship, so visits fit around services rather than fixed hours.
The open porch on the west facade is held together by carved arches fixed with wooden nails where they meet the top beam and the supporting posts. Its parapet is made of pierced boards cut with fish and circle patterns, details a visitor can pick out from below.
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