Dancaș: Parish Church in the Maramureș Architectural Style

The parish church of Dancaș is a wooden church. It was built in the Maramureș architectural style. It is dedicated to the Holy Emperors Constantine and Helena. The church site was blessed on March 13, 1999. The Dancaș parish was established in 2002. On June 19, 2011, the first episcopal liturgy in the history of the parish took place. Saint Martyr Fanourios is listed as the church’s third patron saint, after the Holy Emperors Constantine and Helena.

The church records form a chronological sequence: the blessing of the site in 1999 and the establishment of the parish in 2002 were followed by the first episcopal liturgy on June 19, 2011. The parish church was finally consecrated on July 8, 2018.

History

Construction of the church began on September 26, 2013, with the laying of the foundation stone. Maramureș craftsmen built the church. The work was supervised by Vasile Bârsan from Bârsana in Maramureș County. In 2014, the church was built in Bârsana up to the eaves. On July 1, 2015, the wooden church was transported to Dancaș. Its assembly began there. On July 8, 2018, the parish church was consecrated. The Dancaș parish also announced a second patronal feast.

The construction history therefore identifies Bârsana as the place where the church was built up to the eaves and Dancaș as the place where it was subsequently assembled. The individual documented construction phases took place between the laying of the foundation stone in 2013, the transport in July 2015, and the consecration in 2018.

Culture

Dancaș and Horpaz share a cemetery. The present-day Church of Saint Demetrius stands in Horpaz. It was built in 1935 by the residents of Horpaz and Dancaș. Tombstones were found in the present-day Horpaz cemetery. The finds date from 1814 and 1824.

The wooden Church of Saint Nicholas stands in Ciurbești. It is a cemetery church on the outskirts of the village. From the county road, it is reached via a steep access road. The grounds of the wooden church offer an exceptional view of the village.

Horpaz and Ciurbești therefore contain additional religious sites alongside the parish church of Dancaș. The shared cemetery of Dancaș and Horpaz, the Church of Saint Demetrius, and the wooden Church of Saint Nicholas are among the cultural sites mentioned in the surrounding area.

The same broader local context also includes Miroslava. There, the Sturdza Palace was built at the beginning of the 19th century by the family of the Moldavian boyar Vasile Beldiman. The palace currently houses the Ethnographic Museum of Moldavian Agriculture and the school library.

Nature

The Fânețele Seculare Valea lui David nature reserve is located in the municipality of Miroslava.

Dancaș can be reached via DN 248. The Iași–Ciurea road passes through Horpaz and Ciurbești. Dancaș can also be reached via DN 248A. The Iași–Voinești road passes through Miroslava and Balciu. A local bus route connects Tehnopolis, Horpaz, and Dancaș.

The two road references describe different routes: DN 248 connects Dancaș along the Iași–Ciurea route with Horpaz and Ciurbești, while DN 248A follows the Iași–Voinești route through Miroslava and Balciu. In addition, the documented bus route connects Tehnopolis, Horpaz, and Dancaș.

To the broader travel overview: Miroslava.