Oldest and Tiniest, a Story for the Wooden Church of Doba, 16th century #Im4Ro

Any place has a story, any place deserves a story, this is the one for the oldest and tiniest wooden churches from Zona Codrului, Woodland Realm, in Maramures, Romania. It is the late 16th century wooden church of Doba, dedicate to Archangels Michael and Gabriel.

Oldest and Tiniest, a Story for the Wooden Church from Doba

The tree who knew that a church will one day rise on this piece of land stood tall just where the church tower now rises, legend says.

When Iliora was born, the tree was as tall as a sapling. Still wrestling the summer storms. When Iliora started growing taller the tree, challenged, shot up and his branches nearly touched the sky. It certainly looked that way whenever Iliora lay under his green shade. Whenever Iliora climbed to its top branch on which she nestled, safe, her eyes cast far away. The world certainly looked grand from up here. And it was hers. The tree had gifted it to her.

But when Iliora married and moved over the hill and build a home, the tree grew taller so he can keep an eye on our girl, how the people of his hamlet called her.

Then one day… he’d nearly cut him down, Iliora’s husband, for they needed wood, good wood. But Iliora stopped him, grabbed his wrist so the shiny ax blade danced through the air, and sliced a strand of her long hair… A cloud moved over the sun and shadowed his brow. So they build their home underneath a rock instead. And a cosy place it was. And happy, unlike any other dwelling the villagers had ever seen. So they called it Chilioara, Iliora’s cave.

Soon more families settled there. And soon a church was needed.

Iliora was not around anymore to protect her tree. Other men, younger, cut it down, carried it on their strong backs over the hill, shaped it into planks, and used the planks here and there, where it was needed, for the altar, for the door frame, for the roof, and one plank even made it into the tower. A small tower, for it was a tiny wooden church. Chilioara’s church.

Now blessed with a church the community grew. And it grew, and eventually a bigger church was needed. A stone church built.

Many moons later, perhaps by the way the trees grew and the wind blew, or by the way the stars dripped across the heavens, another girl spotted her future on the other side of a hill. Where greener pasture grew, and an azure sky. And she moved, then he moved, they build, they lived, they grew another family together. Happy till the day a church was needed. For there was space, just right. There in the clearing, see?

The tiny wooden church from Chilioara was brought over the hill, in Doba. Piece by piece on the men’s strong backs. And rebuilt here: the altar, the door frame, the roof, the tower…

Legend says that the tree had known. He’d known from the beginning that one day a church will stand in its place.

Copyright © Patricia Furstenberg. All Rights Reserved.

About the wooden church of Doba, dedicate to Archangels Michael and Gabriel

The wooden church of Doba was built at the end on the 16th century in Chilioara. Here, in Chilioara, at the end of the 18th century lived 211 souls and a priest.

The tiny wooden church was brought from Chilioara to Doba between 1831 – 1842, when Chilioara had a new, stone church and Doba had none.

The tiny wooden church of Doba is still in use today by the small local community.

You can read more (in Romanian) about the wooden church from Doba, about Zona Codrului, Woodland Realm, and the project “Biserici de Lemn di Zona Codrului” here.

Or take a virtual tour of the tiny wooden church from Doba.

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The Wooden Church from Arduzel, Maramures
The Wooden Church from Bicaz, Maramures
The Oldest Christmas Story
The Oldest Christmas Carol, Jesus Refulsit Omnium