Cultural project for wooden churches

Investments targeting historical monuments are investments in cultural heritage's future. A project aimed at determining the age of wooden churches in Sălaj through dendrochronological investigations is being carried out this year by the ARHAIC Association, with financial support from the Order of Architects of Romania, from the Architecture Stamp Fund. According to the association: "Starting from spring throughout this year, the ARHAIC Association is conducting a cultural project with a strong research component, entitled 'Dendrochronological Investigations of Wooden Churches in Sălaj.' The motivation for this project is that, from our perspective, it is essential to accurately know the age of these wooden places of worship in order to better understand them and to capture their heritage value as faithfully as possible. This means understanding their importance in the context of the region's society and culture and placing their intrinsic qualities in an appropriate evolutionary and historical context."

Regarding the age of wooden constructions in the Sălaj region, Leontin Ghergariu, in his manuscript from the 1970s, noted that "dating the construction of old churches, especially wooden ones, is extremely challenging" and that their stylistic features "do not help us determine their age." The ARHAIC Association further informs: "It is true that the dedicated researcher Leontin Ghergariu did not have access to a scientific method that would allow him to investigate the age of such constructions. Therefore, despite the subjectivity of some age assessments, a series of more or less accurate information, preserved only in the memory of communities and not supported by inscriptions or historical documents, have come to be considered real and have been adopted in current practice, with some of them even appearing in the dating of monuments listed as historical landmarks."

This cultural project with a significant research component is supported by the Order of Architects of Romania, Timiş Branch, through the Architecture Stamp Fund. Partners in this program include: the Diocese of Sălaj, the Forest Biometrics Laboratory, the Faculty of Forestry, Ştefan cel Mare University, Suceava, the Faculty of History and Philosophy, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, Politehnica University of Timişoara, and the Order of Architects of Romania, Transylvania Territorial Branch, as well as the Wooden Churches Association. The success of this initiative could lead to its expansion.