It is a listed monument of national value and holds 4.6 on Google from more than 2,200 reviews.
About the place
In 1935, at the suggestion of the priest Grigore Rițiu, the craftsman Stan Ioan Pătraș (1908–1977) made the first wider crosses, with room for an epitaph. From the 1960s the cemetery filled with about 800 such oak crosses. After Pătraș, his apprentice Dumitru Pop-Tincu carried on the craft until 2022, and today his son-in-law continues it.
Each cross has a painted scene from the life of the person buried there and a few lines of verse, usually in the first person, many with spelling mistakes and old words. The cemetery surrounds the church in the centre of the village, about 19 km from Sighet. There is an entry fee.
Good to know
- Google gives daily hours of 8 am to 8 pm; in November it gets dark around 5 pm, so come in daylight.
- The Stan Ioan Pătraș memorial house, with the craftsman's workshop, is temporarily closed for restoration; check the Muzeul Maramureșan website before looking for it.
- Săpânța-Peri Monastery is about 1.7 km away by road, towards the Tisza.
Opening hours
| Monday | 8–20 |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | 8–20 |
| Wednesday | 8–20 |
| Thursday | 8–20 |
| Friday | 8–20 |
| Saturday | 8–20 |
| Sunday | 8–20 |
Hours may change on public holidays. Check before you go.