Wooden Church Research Articles

Historical wooden churches from Banat Region, Romania. Damages: Modern consolidation solutions

Abstract Historical wooden churches are spread in several countries in the Balkans and are considered priceless World Heritage values, because of the traditional manufacturing techniques, religious paintings and in plane and elevation forms specific to each geographic region. Over the years, some have disappeared, others have been moved and some have remained present in the same location. Depending on external factors that acted on them, they have recorded various failures and degradations. Among the most important factors we can mention: fire, floods, landslides, earthquakes, biological attacks. In the western part of Romania as in neighboring countries such as Serbia and Hungary, there are many historical wooden churches. Generally they were built between 1650 and 1850 with some exceptions. Since almost 50 years in the communist regime the consolidation of historical monuments was almost forbidden and they were intentionally left to deteriorate, in the present time they are extremely degradated their historical and cultural value is given by religious paintings made directly on the wooden walls. The article tries to focus on these monuments of great cultural heritage importance unknown in this region and present the main damages of these churches and some reversible consolidation and strengthening solutions according to the Chart of Venice.

Fouilles archéologiques préventives à l’église en bois Saint Nicolas du village Anghelești, la commune de Pietrari, département de Vâlcea

Preventive archaeological researches in the wooden church Sfântul Nicolae, from Angheleşti village, comunne Pietrari, Vâlcea county. The preventive archaeological researches in this church, from the summer of 2010, were occasioned by the relocation of the church, to be restored and integrated into the architectural and traditional complex from Village Museum of Bujoreni, Vâlcea county, by the approach of The HAR Foundation, in summer and autumn of 2009, when the assessment and technical expertise of the monument was carried out, and its removal, also.

Gardino dekanato parapijos XVII a. antrojoje pusėje

In the second half of the 17th century Grodno deanery of Vilnius diocese was comprised of 21 Catholic churches (Odelsk, Hoża, Dąbrowa, Ejsmonty, Jeziory, Grodno, Indura, Krasnybór, Krynki, Kundzin, Kuźnica, Kwasówka, Lipsk, Brzostowica Mała, Nowy Dwór, Przewałka, Różanystok, Sokolany, Sokółka, Szudziałow, Zalesie). These churches were founded at various time periods, from the beginning of the 15th century, i.e. times of the grand duke of Lithuania Vytautas (Grodno parish), until the end of the 17th century. Most of the churches established their existence during the ruling of Sigismund III Vasa (the junction of the 16th and 17th centuries), the patron of most of them being the sovereign. Ejsmonty and Brzostowica Mała churches were founded the latest, respectively in 1695 and 1663 after the war between the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Russia in the middle of the 17th century. Based on visitation and inventories related materials of the deanery in various Lithuanian and Polish manuscripts it was stated that there were only two brick parish churches in the deanery (Grodno, Zalesie), and Nowy Dwór church was half brick, half wooden. All other churches were wooden, although some of them were splendid and spacious (e.g. Kwasówka, Sokółka, Dąbrowa, Odelsk). Roofs of wooden churches were usually covered in wooden tiles; they were decorated with little towers with crosses. However, churches of average and even small size dominated in the deanery, most of them were hardly restored after the occupation, robberies by the Russian army and arsons. Visitators demanded to reconstruct the churches, to repair the altars, to install ciboria for proper holding of the Blessed Sacrament, liturgical material, etc. Four of the reconstructed churches were consecrated by titular bishop of Gratianopoli Nicolaus Słupski during his visitation in 1674. [...]

Inventory of the of St. Peter Church in the Antakalnis written by Peter Korkonos in 1609

In 1609 Peter Korkonos, the new rector (parish priest) of the St. Peter Church in Vilnius wrote an inventory of this church. It’s the oldest inventory of the church we know today. Two fragments of this document have been found in the collections of the Archive of Vilnius Archdiocese and The Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania. In this edition these two fragments of the historical source have been combined and commented. Particular attention has been paid to the problem of books, which were the property of the church at this time. The most relevant facts from the history of St. Peter Church are also mentioned in this work. The first wooden church founded about 1492–1507 burned down. The management of the parish and the years of restoration were documented by Peter Korkonos. After the death of the parson St. Peter Church was handed over to the Canons Regular of the Lateran. The presented sources have not been widely used in academic theses concerning the church. They complete former knowledge related with formation of the local library.

Wooden Church from Târnăvița, Hunedoara County

Wooden Church from Târnăvita, Hunedoara County. The wooden church from Târnăvita village is one of the most beautiful and valorous from Mureş Meadow, in Hunedoara County. This church from seventh decade of 17th century preserve the archaic forms and dimensions, with a interior paint from two periods – from 17th and 18th centuries. Is a listed monument in A class, but its state of conservation is poor. This monument is representative for wooden churches from Mureş Valley in Hunedoara County and its integral saving must to be a priority for the specialized teams.

The wooden churches of Dâmbovița County. Archaeological and historical considerations

Romanians’ traditions and their means of expression are enjoying today a higher and higher appreciation, the ethnographical and the artistic importance of wooden architecture is generally known even if the studies the wooden churches are still few. Those still preserved on the territory of Dâmboviţa County make up only a small part of the ones constructed in this area starting with the Early Middle Ages. In accordance with the local tradition, confirmed or not by historical documents and archaeological information, under or very close by, nearly all current churches or monasteries made out of stone or brick masonry have the confirmed or the very probable existence of a previous wooden place of worship. The wooden churches can be found spread across all geographical stages from the mountain area to the lowlands. The ones preserved across the territory of Dâmboviţa County are part of the series type made from the second half of the century the seventeenth-century, with a „in cross” site plan. Their proportions and plastic expressions, cover all the space between the mountain area up to the Danube. The relatively short life of this organic construction material gives us the main explanation why there can not be found preserved wooden churches older than eighteenth-century. Despite that, the construction technique, the plan or the decorative motifs allow us to get valuable information about the constructive techniques belonging to the Early Middle Ages.

The Paradoxes of Kozheozero

The Kozheozero Monastery of the Epiphany was founded by the monk Nifont in the mid-16th century. Located in the impenetrable swamps west of the Onega River, it was one of the most remote religious houses in the Russian North and should have remained small in size and insignificant in cultural history. Yet it came to exemplify the complex and seemingly contradictory character of Muscovite religious life in the 17th century, when it attracted about a hundred seekers after solitude to a wilderness community where they found wooden churches surrounded by huts but also a rich sacristy, an extensive library, and an icon collection that reflected the fashions of the capital. Thanks to the support of the new Romanov dynasty, the long residence of the noted ascetic Nikodim, the brief abbacy of the future Patriarch Nikon, and the Moscow connections of the community’s most well-known monk Bogolep L’vov, Kozheozero surprisingly grew into a significant literary and artistic center. The spread of Western cultural influence in court circles and major provincial centers has received considerable attention, but the achievements of Kozheozero demonstrate that the new trends also penetrated the most isolated areas of the Muscovite state.

Religionsskiftet i sen vikingetid – Belyst ud fra Harvey Whitehouses teori om religiøse modaliteter

Religionsskiftet i sen vikingetid – Belyst ud fra Harvey Whitehouses teori om religiøse modaliteter

Wireless sensor network to monitor an historic structure under rehabilitation

The preservation of the history of the United States through its significant buildings is critical; however, this initiative is currently threatened due to the modernization of the nation’s infrastructure. If a fast and cost-effective way to monitor the condition of a historic structure existed, many more structures could be rehabilitated for modern uses while preserving the important historic content. Widely accessible wireless sensor network (WSN) technology could be a great asset to the preservation of historic structures in the future. The main objectives of this work are to develop a reliable WSN that is tailored for use in historic structures, and to implement the system in a structure undergoing rehabilitation. The structure considered is an historic wooden church in which the foundation requires replacement. Sensors will monitor tilt of the church’s walls throughout construction. During the construction process, the entire floor of the church is removed and the tree stump foundations are replaced by concrete masonry unit (CMU) blocks and steel pedestals. The tilt in the walls is correlated to the construction process. Through this research, it can be seen that the WSN is an effective tool for structural monitoring in historic preservation.

Flandes Indiano Chiloense: un patrimonio invencible en el tiempo

Chiloé´s traditions are admired for its adaptation to geography and its history. Its wooden churches are a well known Unesco World Heritage, but there is more than that, this paper presents the architecture of the spanish forts.

Tourist organization of space in the Eastern Carpathians - the northern group

The Northern Group of the Eastern Carpathians distinguishes itself through an attractive tourist potential, both anthropic and natural. To the anthropic heritage belong the wooden churches and monasteries of Bucovina, and to the natural one, the varied relief, developed on a diversified lithological basis (eruptive rocks in the West, crystalline in the median area and sedimentary in the East). To all these adds up the unaltered human potential and the remarkable hospitality of the inhabitants. Three types of areas regarding the tourist organization of space have been highlighted based on the variety and level of the tourist potential, of the role in its development and its exploitation forms: areas with a complex organization, areas with a deficient organization, areas in the process of organizing themselves.

Kult Świętego Rocha jako czynnik integrujący rodzinę i społeczność lokalną (na przykładzie parafii Mikstat w Południowej Wielkopolsce)

The Mikstat Parish is situated in the south of the Province of Wielkopolska, Poland. On the Cemetery Hill there is a small wooden church dedicated to St Roch, who has been venerated there for almost three hundred years. The local community are aware of the unusual vitality and form of this cult. The Saint Roch feast is a truly exceptional event there. St Roch is the protector of domestic animals who keeps them safe from infectious diseases. The feast celebrations and the patron saint integrate families and the local community. Many people try to participate in the feast preparations. As animals are blessed on this occasion, parishioners and visitors from all over Poland bring their animals and pray to St Roch to protect them. The cult of St Roch in this community also integrates families, because the celebrations are attended by whole families, including relatives residing outside the parish. In 2007 St Roch was pronounced patron saint of the town of Mikstat.

Kyrkan, jarlen och makten

The paper describes traces of a late 11th century wooden church that in 2005 was excavated in Tölö in northern Halland. The purpose is to present the remains of this regional late Viking Age central place within a political historical context. The builders of the church must have played a significant part in forming the regional political landscape at that time. The church was situated in the centre of the, in the late 11th century, very unstable northern border zone between the Norwegian and Danish late Viking Age realms. Snorre Sturlasson gives several accounts of northern Halland as a definitive warzone during this period. In the paper the author examines the political factors which he means were behind the construction of the church and the central place at Tölö as a whole. In the church there were five graves, all dating from the second part of the 11th century. Outside the church a Viking Age ship-formed stone setting was documented and quite nearby a large settlement with a huge hall from the same period was excavated some years ago. In many aspects the place comprises traces of many of the political and religious attributes that archaeologists claim to have been used to express power by the top most elite in late Viking Age society. In its components the power that became expressed upon the ridge at Tölö resembles the symbolism that became expressed at the most central political places in late Viking Age southern Scandinavia.

Slavenski paljevinski grob iz Lobora

Pri arheološkim istraživanjima na lokalitetu Lobor, Majka Božja Gorska, provedenim 2009. godine, na prostoru na kojem se nalaze ostatci drvene crkve iz 9. stoljeća, otkrivena je posuda s ostatcima spaljenog pokojnika. Posuda je nađena u jami od stupa drvene crkve, kamo je najvjerojatnije upala pri njezinu podizanju. Grobovi s ostatcima spaljenih pokojnika nisu nađeni na lokalitetu, jer je taj prostor korišten kao mjesto ukapanja kroz više stoljeća. U članku će biti prikazani rezultati najnovijih arheoloških istraživanja, a posebno će se analizirati urna kao jedan od dokaza dugog i neprekinutog kontinuiteta pokapanja na tome mjestu.

Late baroque greek-cross plan type Lutheran churches in Hungary

The paper analyses a specific building type, the Baroque church architecture of historic Hungary, the Greek-cross ground-plan evangelic churches. This church type has different prototypes: the Huguenot and Scandinavian Protestant churches in Europe, the model plans of architectural treatises - first of all the treatises of Leonhard Christoph Sturm - and the Lutheran wooden churches of Silesia. The symbolic content of the cruciform plan was also popular among the Lutheran congregations, which is explainable with theological reasons as well as with the good visual and acoustic conditions, furthermore with the construction benefits from its application. The Slovak Lutheran congregations played a determining role in the domestication and the dissemination of the layout type. The late Baroque central Greek-cross plan is an important antecedent for the renewal of the late 19^th century Protestant church architecture.

Kartausische Kunst und Architektur mit besonderer Berucksichtigung der Kartausen Zentraleuropas, Band 2. Edited by JAMES HOGG, ALAIN GIRARD, and DANIEL LE BLeVEC.

This is the second collection of papers from the Carthusian studies conference held at Aggsbach and Brünn in 2005. The conference placed special emphasis on the charterhouses of central Europe, and this particular volume largely consists of photographs and illustrations. Josef Šamánek provides an account of the remarkable rebuilding of the historic sixteenth-century wooden church of St Katharine in Ostrava-Hrabová in the Czech republic, which was destroyed in a terrible fire in 2002. Jakub Vrána discusses the layout of the charterhouse ‘Domus Vallis Josaphat’, at Dolany near Olomouc, uncovered sometime ago during archaeological excavations. The charterhouse had been relocated from Tržek in 1389, as the original foundation was too distant to administer its possessions effectively. In 1425 the monks were forced to leave by Hussite soldiers, who converted the charterhouse buildings into a fortified residence with a permanent garrison. This explains the fact that a great deal of evidence for military occupation and siege was uncovered, along with that for monastic life. The late, and sadly missed, Michel Carlat provides a scholarly and meticulous study of representations of European charterhouses at La Grande Chartreuse and Klosterneuburg, from the seventeenth to the eighteenth centuries. Some of these have frequently appeared as illustrations in AC. Carlat investigates a number of important questions surrounding their origin, including who painted them and why; whether or not they can be given precise dates and are simply copies of earlier illustrations, and how they are related to other, similar illustrations in public and private collections. The provenance of the thirty-five paintings at Klosterneuburg ‘n’est pas attesté avec certitude’, and they may have originated from Austrian charterhouses suppressed by Emperor Joseph II. Carlat's excellent study indicates that there are no simple answers to many of the questions he raises. Giovanni Leoncini's work on the Italian charterhouses is well known, and he has written a paper on the development of their architectural aspects, which he believes provides for a good comparison with the charterhouses of central Europe. There is also a survey of the monastic buildings of the Camaldolese hermit-monks by Matthias Mulitzer, which has a concise introduction to the history of this branch of the Benedictines, and a number of interesting photographs and diagrams. The volume also includes papers on the charterhouses of Valdice, Lechnitz, Aggsbach, and photographs of the charterhouses of Brünn and Gaming, by Juan Mayo Escudero and Christian McTighe respectively. There is clearly much of interest in this collection of papers to warrant recommendation.

The Vocation Lectures: 'Science as a Vocation'/'Politics as a Vocation' by Max Weber , David S. Owen , Tracy B. Strong (review)

Book Reviews 125 tion; 'streets' in a natural state, usually doused with petroleum twice each summer to prevent dust, and smelling accordingly; wooden churches of at least 4-5 denominations... Add to this the usual tangle of telegraph wires, and electric trainlines under construction, for the 'town' extends into the unbounded distance. Weber met up with the Democratic politician Robert L. Owen, Cherokee in descent, and who became Senator for Oklahoma in 1907 till 1925. The federal government was operating a programme of allowing the sale of the Indian Territories and those lots were quickly passing out of Indian hands into those of adventurer capitalists. Weber observed that Leatherstocking romanticism was being crushed by the new capitalistic culture. Owen opposed the manner of the land-sales, which were open to huge abuse, in the name of Emersonian self-reliance. Owen himself was a devout Presbyterian, and so an advocate of an ethical style of life. William Swatos and Peter Kivisto chart the progress of Weber's ascent in Ameri can sociology. Parsons' translation of PESC was barely noted in 1930 but by 1964 Weber had become part of the canon, not least through Parsons' own The Structure of Social Action, the bigger picture provided by Gerth and Mills' selection, and the advocacy of the New School of Social Research under the leadership of Emil Lederer. What is not explained is the thirst for Weber in American sociology. Gorski, as well as Stephen Kalberg, raises the issue of how much we want to retain of the specific arguments of the PESC. Gorski, in plunging into the debates of economic history post-Weber—Postan, Braudel, Wallenstein, Douglas North and so on—creates a reading of Weber not narrowly focused on the 1904-1905 texts. Weber, in his 'Author7s Introduction' of 1920, talked about a wider and more general history of occidental rationalism in all areas of society. Kalberg examines the ethical basis of civic associations in American agrarian life, a type of communalism informed by Puritan values. The embeddedness of values in agrarian life has not survived the continuing move into the cities, where today a set of recreational and entertainment values congruent with a debt-laden consumerism predominate and undercut self reliant individualism. That subsequent development belongs to another narrative: of contemporary capitalism's close and exploitative relationship to the exploration of modern selfhood. So, today we have a new capitalism, a reconstitution of social groups, and a new set of dispositions—not Puritan, but still operable with Weberian methods. This book greatly furthers the research agenda and will be invaluable to advanced sociology courses. Sam Whimster* London Metropolitan University Sam Whimster* Max Weber, The Vocation Lectures: 'Science as a Vocation'/'Politics as a Vocation' (trans. Rodney Livingstone; Introduction [and ed.] David S. Owen and Tracy B. Strong; Indianapolis, IN; Hackett, 2004), pp. lxxv + 94. ISBN 0-87220-666-1 (hbk), 0-87220 665-3 (pbk). £27.95/£9.95. The editors and the translator have for the first time produced a book in English containing these two lectures alone. It is, therefore, to be welcomed. The work is a * A condensed version of this review has appeared in Contemporary Sociology.© Max Weber Studies 2007. 126 Max Weber Studies translation of Max Weber's Wissenschaft als Beruf (1917/1919) and Politik als Beruf (1919), edited by Wolfgang J. Mommsen and Wolfgang Schluchter with the collabo ration of Birgitt Morgenbrod (Tübingen: J.C.B. Mohr [Paul Siebeck], 1994), which itself forms part of the Max Weber Gesamtausgabe. The essays were first translated into English by Hans Gerth and C. Wright Mills in their edited collection From Max Weber: Essays in Sociology (New York: Oxford Uni versity Press, 1946). Subsequently, Politik als Beruf appeared in translation by Ronald Speirs in the collection that he edited with Peter Lassman in the Cambridge blue books series as Weber: Political Writings (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994), while Wissenschaft als Beruf was translated by Irving Velody in the collection he edited, again with Peter Lassman, entitled Max Weber's 'Science as a Vocation' (London: Unwin Hyman, 1989). The question then to be asked is how does the new translation compare to the original one? The results...

ボスニア地域における箱柱式教会の起源について : フィンランドの17世紀,18世紀木造教会に関する研究(その3)

I wrote about the characteristics and the evolvement of Bothnian block-pillar churches in my previous papers. Finnish wooden churches were developed with the effective technique of the block-pillar style in the 17^<th> and 18^<th> centuries. How was the block-pillar style born? Concerning the trunk of the block-pillar style, craftsmen learned from traditional Finnish corner-timbered bridges and boat-sheds, which were supported by quasi box pillars. On the other hand they learned about the A-shaped roof trusses by imitating the trusses of the Swedish medieval stone churches in the Uppsala area. By combining both techniques the block-pillar style made long walls and high wooden vaults possible and thus created a greater space for the church. The Bothnian area was close to the Uppsala area and was therefore influenced by it. At the same time in the Bothnian area there was a long tradition of shipbuilding which contributed to a high level of craftsmanship.

ボスニア地域における箱柱式教会の推移について : フィンランドの17世紀,18世紀木造教会に関する研究(その2)

I wrote a report about the characteristics of Bothnian block-pillar churches in the 17^<th> century in my previous paper. Many of these churches were constructed using a highly developed technique during this time. But in Sweden, the style of churches changed to cruciform churches at the end of the 17^<th> century. This trend came to Finland and many cruciform churches were built with the corner-timbered technique. Although the block-pillar churches became virtually obsolete, the technique was still being applied to cruciform churches as late as the middle of the 18^<th> century. Thus the cruciform churches developed into larger and higher structures. I will try to clarify how the block-pillar technique was applied to cruciform churches. I believe this technique played a very significant role in the history of Finnish wooden churches during the 17^<th> and 18^<th> centuries.

Study of the winter and summer changes of the air composition in the church of Szalowa, Poland, related to conservation

The St. Michael Archangel’s Church in Szalowa, Poland, was selected for closer investigation with respect to the indoor/outdoor air exchange and its influence on the air quality and work arts preservation. Chemical composition, size and abundance of particulate matter and concentration of gases NO2, SO2, O3 inside and outside the church were determined. To study seasonal variation of the weather condition (temperature, inversion level, wind direction) and the influence of seasonal sources of the air pollution (like heating of the nearby houses), samples were collected in winter and summer time. It was stated that suspended particulate matter inside the wooden church has in general an outdoor source. Several groups of particles were distinguished such as the organic ones, soil dust, nitrates and sulphates. In case of organic and soil dust particles, the concentration inside was higher than outside. From the results, in comparison to literature data, one can conclude that accumulation of particulate suspended matter in the church is more intense than in other types of buildings. Gaseous pollutants were detected but their concentration was negligible.