Prin Gorjul bisericilor de lemn (I)
The Wooden Churches across Gorj County (I)

Summary/Abstract: In 2023, the Association of Wooden Churches, in partnership with several institutions, including the Ethnographic Museum of Moldavia, continued the research on wooden churches, this time in the Western area of Gorj county. For a more complete picture of the environment in which these edifices are found, together with specialists in architecture, painting, restoration, history and documentation, a team dedicated to socio-anthropological research was established, one of the goals being the identification in communities of the elements related to traditional culture, especially those related to the respective churches and the space in which they are located. At this historical stage, some of these churches only retain a funeral role (directly or only through the place where they are found – in cemeteries or in their vicinity), so the main focus of the research was in the direction of identifying the rites and customs in this field within the communities they belong to. At the same time, the focus was also on contouring the image that the residents have about these churches, as well as, in a broader plan, on the manner these people view the future of the researched places, as well as that of their communities. Taking place in a limited time, the research campaign nevertheless allowed gathering a material that can be summarized in a few key points, which we present in this article.

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