ARDUZEL wooden church, near Somes Uileac

The village was first recorded in 1334.

Arduzel wooden church, general view

The wooden church, dedicated to the patron saints The Holy Archangels, was built in 1650, in Gardani. It was moved to the present site, between 1806 and 1815, when it was enlarged with a porch on the  southern side.

This church is a true architectural jewel due to the harmony of its proportions, the slender outline of the tower, the flared folds of the roof and the massive oak steeple. The walls are built simply with three wide beams, joined at their corners in dovetails. The steep roof is held up by brackets cut into straight steps.

The bell-tower has a hidden watchtower. The balcony is shaped in arcades, covered by a flared spire, with four sides, rounded towards the top. A two-arm cross, decorated with a half-moon in the lower part and another one in the upper part, is fixed on the steeple.

The entrance door is on the southern side. It is enclosed by a porch, which is supported by

Detail

eight carved pillars, asymmetrically Joined to a corona of wooden boards by wedges an fixed with wooden nails.

The parapet of the porch, hidden by broad vertical boards, has at its centre a row of engraved crosses. It also has a railing running along its entire length .

The entrance door is simple, with no decorations. But, the door between the pronaos and the nave has

a massive frame, in an arch . The frame is decorated, on the inside, by a row of carvings and zigzags in high relief. The sides, of the frame are rounded in the lower part and completed with carved crosses.

The vault of the nave is supported, at its centre, by a semi-arch decorated with carvings that go downwards to the floor. The separating wall between the pronaos and the nave has four small triangular openings both at the right and at the left of the entrance door, allowing the women to see the service from the nave.

Detail

The fragments of painting reveal the fact that the painter was really experienced and he knew how to use pleasant and harmonious colors, with a preference for red, golden-yellow, green, black and blue.

priestley vestments

Unfortunately, the painting on the walls is almost completely destroyed. It is still reserved in some fragments on the Iconostasis, in the center tier one with Jesus Christ between the Holy Mother and St. John, and the other Apostles. This row was painted in an authentic Byzantine style, the Apostles being dressed in straight folded clothes that enfolded their bodies perfectly.

There are two beautiful, wooden crosses in this church, used during the service. The painting on one of them is really well preserved.

The access to the Sanctuary is through two doors separated by a broad pillar, made of one piece of wood. This is a clear indication that the church is really old.

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