Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the village, however, is its unique
Merry Cemetery
(admission & camera each 4 lei)
:
the church graveyard famous for the colourfully painted wooden crosses that adorn its
tombstones. The crosses attract busloads of visitors who marvel at the gentle humour that
created them and, curiously, villagers seem unfazed by the daily circus. Outside the
church, a gauntlet of souvenir stalls hawk embroidered tablecloths, Russian dolls and
some of the finest examples of woven rugs in the country.
Five hundred metres down a gravel road, a new
wooden church
claiming to be the
tallest wooden structure in Europe (75m) has been built with a nontraditional stone base.
Ask the resident nun to open the basement chapel.
Two buses per day go to Săpânţa (morning and afternoon, weekdays only) from Sighetu
Marmaţiei, but with no return bus. The wooden church is signposted off the main
Sighet-Negreşti-Oaş road, though it's easier to just look up and follow the steeple.
MERRY CEMETERY
Săpânţa's Merry Cemetery was the creation of Ioan Stan Pătraş, a simple wood sculptor who, in 1935, started
carving crosses to mark graves in the old church cemetery. He painted each cross in blue - the traditional colour
of hope and freedom - and on top of each he inscribed a witty epitaph to the deceased. Every cross tells a different
story, and the painted pictures and inscriptions illustrate a wealth of traditional occupations: shepherds tend their
sheep, mothers cook for their families, barbers cut hair and weavers bend over looms.
Pătraş carved and painted his own cross, complete with a portrait of himself. Pătraş' grave is directly opposite
the main entrance to the old church. Since Pătraş' death in 1977 his apprentice Dumitru Pop, as well as a number
of other craftsmen, work in Pătraş' former house and studio, now a fascinating little
museum
(admission 3 lei)
.
It's a short detour 300m to the right of the cemetery entrance.
Sleeping & Eating
Camping Poieni $
( 0740-593 380;
www.camping-poieni.ro
; campsites/cabins 8/50 lei; )
Located 3km
out of town (heading south towards the mountains), Poieni is idyllically positioned by a
stream, and has tiny wood cabanas and a restaurant in the main house. Guests can use the
clay oven too. Shared showers and WC.
CAMPING
Pensiunea Ileana $
PENSION
