It is one of the eight wooden churches of Maramureș on the UNESCO World Heritage List and a listed monument of national value.
About the place
The church is in the village of Șurdești, in the Cavnic valley, about 20 km from Baia Mare by road, some 30 minutes by car. It was built in 1721 by the village's Greek Catholic community, under the master carpenter Ion Macarie, from oak. It has a double-eaved roof, a two-storey porch with arcades one above the other and a rope-shaped band carved all round, and its pointed tower dominates the village.
The interior was painted at the end of the 18th century, the best-known painter being Ștefan of Șișești; you can see the Last Judgement, Jacob's Ladder and the Prophet Elijah in his chariot of fire, and the iconostasis shows Baroque influence. The floor is laid with large stone slabs. UNESCO listed the church in 1999 together with seven other wooden churches of Maramureș, among them the one in Plopiș, on the other side of the valley.
Good to know
- The church is usually locked; the county council's guide to the UNESCO circuit names the parish priest as the contact for visits, on +40 262 298 744.
- The feast day is 8 November, the day of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel.
- The new church in the village, which burned in April 2026, is not the UNESCO monument; the old church was not touched by the fire.
Opening hours
Opening hours are not confirmed. Check the venue's website before you go.