MARAMURE

S GATES

In Maramures has flourished, more than in other regions of Romania the woodworking art. As a visitor you can admire

the beauty of old houses, gates and churches

found here. They look

like Maramures have always been faithful for

wood, who gave the most diverse forms, from plates which ate until the

roof overhead and churches in which they

worshiped.

One of the most valuable symbols of Maramures is

Maramuresean Gate. Generally built on three pillars and a "fruntar"

(the lintel of the gate) of

oak, with "haizasul" (roof) made of

beech,gates in this area have often been compared to real

"triumphal arches".

The wooden gates of households traditional in Maramures are located

mainly in the villages of the valleys Mara, Iza and Cosau,

but in some places in the Lapus country. Many

researchers believe that in Maramures gates were a privilege of noblemen.

Appearance is extremely

important, because only landowners had the privilege to lift high in front wearing households, while ordinary people had no right than

bung (made of poles mounted parallel on a

rectangular frame with a diagonal, to fix , and which

opened in some).

Moreover, it is apparent especially in inscriptions

written in Romanian Cyrillic or Latin. Names of appear here craftsmen, owners,

local officials, with different social ranks, priests and mayors, Maramures and inobileze feel the need to

also houses records to

prove the age of the building and give them additional value. The construction, reasons

incision of and the passage through the gate each

particular rituals based on a deep faith (with mythical

connotations rather).

Therefore, cutting oak must coincide with a full moon

during the night - around the household to remove all misfortunes and all "evil

hours". Then transporting wood from the forest must be done on Tuesdays, Thursdays

and Saturdays, in virtue of faith such wood will be good luck. Below threshold is put pillar linking "money, holy

water and incenseso as not the plague." and in defense of property and house on poles

were carved anthropomorphic figures, protective. Carved

motifs had magical substrates (some), but decode the most common elements used by

artisans allow us forays into a mythical universe,

antecrestin.

Gate poles are an expression of the great myths of popular

Romanian culture. Wood carved motifs each have

their meaning rich. Twisted rope represents infinite,

incomprehensible, and the link between heaven and pamant. Sun symbol of

Godhead is "life-giving." He sees everything, knows

everything and above all, know the truth. Maramures

has thriving Sun in gate as a sign of life, as every day to

go, to enter or to leave under it. disc solar cult of the sun is not missing any gate or on the swing, or the chest of

drawers and other items of need .

Tree of Life symbolizes eternal life, youth without old age. Anthropomorphic figures

carved pillars gates were intended to protect the house from evil forces household.

For Maramures peasant, passing under the roof of the gate became a ceremonial act, purifying the mentally ill profane world to get clean in the universe of household

appliances and family. In all traditional cultures, passing under a gate, more or less grandiose, symbolizes a transition (surface or structural, physical or virtual).

Currently in Maramures, old

wooden gates can be seen, especially in

villages Cosau Valley and the Village

Museum in Baia Mare and Sighet. As the

gates we raise or lower their

decorations more enriched, inspired by recent, but have lost

the original meanings, keeping only the aesthetics.

HOPE YOU ENJOY IT!

Matei Gabriel OctavianSeminary

Theological Buzau