The wooden church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary - Grămești

Dedicated to the Dormition of the Mother of God, the wooden Church from Grămești was built in 1664, being the personal foundation of Metropolitan Stefan I of Wallachia.

You can find it at the foot of a fir forest, in the village of Pietreni, Costești commune in Vâlcea county. It has the appearance of a noble house and is one of the oldest wooden churches still preserved in the country.

With an archaic plan, very rarely seen in Wallachia, the church has a large, open porch and widened nave. Outside, on the southern wall and next to the altar, the funerary inscriptions inlaid in wood, many still undeciphered, arouse the visitor's curiosity.

Built on a slope, with a high plinth, of limestone, with a simple but symbolic carving, the church offers a unique experience, revealing the science and art of wooden church craftsmen in the Middle Ages in Wallachia.

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Architectural features

The wooden church from Grămești has never been plastered, preserving its original appearance. The nine pillars of the porch are decorated at the top with Doric capitals. A jagged girdle surrounds the entire construction. The porch has a river stone floor.

The frame of the entrance door to the church is cut in the shape of a brace, among its decorative elements the twisted rope, saw teeth and rosettes with six arms stand out. Above the entrance door in the pronaos is the carved wood sign in beautiful Cyrillic calligraphy.

The uniqueness of the paintings

The interior painting of the church, of which today only vague traces can be distinguished, was made by the painter Bogdan around 1668. In 1688, Father Stan added additions to it. Later, the church was painted by the painter Gheorghe, who also created an icon of the Mother of God, in 1779.

The votive portrait of Metropolitan Stefan I, the founder of the church, was executed two years before his death. Currently, only a few fragments are still visible on the wall to the left of the entrance door to the nave.

Unique experiences

From the wooden church in Grămești you can take a short hike to the nearby Hermitage 44 de Izvoare. Also known as the Hermitage under the Stone, it was built in 1701 by Abbot Stefan of the Bistrita monastery.

Another wooden church, which preserves old inscriptions in the Cyrillic language on its exterior walls, such as those from Grămești, is located in the village of Grușetu in the same commune. It's worth a visit here too!

Only a few kilometers from Costești you can find the Arnota monastery, founded by Matei Basarab in 1634.