Mănăstirea Secu. Buletin istoric şi cultural, I, Galaţi, 2025, pp. 93-118
BISERICA DE LEMN DE LA PUTNA
AUTOR: Ion MAREŞ
Cuvinte Cheie: Putna, Rădăuţi, Volovăţ, biserică de lemn, dendrocronologie
Keywords: Putna, Rădăuţi, Volovăţ, wooden church, dendrochronology
THE WOODEN CHURCH OF PUTNA
(Abstract)
In the cemetery of the village of Putna, in Putna commune, Suceava County, stands the oldest wooden church in Moldavia, dedicated to the „Entry into the Church” (also known as the „Dragoş Vodă Church”), a place of worship of great historical and ecclesiastical value. The church was originally located in Volovăţ and was relocated before the year 1500 by Stephen the Great near his own foundation, the Putna Monastery.
Dendrochronological investigations have dated the wooden church to the second half of the 14th century. By comparing the layout of the nave of the first wooden church from Rădăuţi with that of the wooden church in Putna, it was found that they are almost identical, differing only in the shape of the altars—rectangular in Rădăuţi and pentagonal in Putna.
Based on archaeological, dendrochronological, and documentary evidence, it has been concluded that the wooden church was originally in Rădăuţi. It was there that Bogdan I, Laţcu and Costea were buried. Later, the church was dismantled and moved to Volovăţ before 1491 by Petru I, who built the „St. Nicholas Church” in its place. Stephen the Great later moved it near the Putna Monastery, building a massive stone church – the „Elevation of the Holy Cross” – in Volovăţ in its stead. Over time, the wooden building underwent some architectural changes, being enlarged with the addition of a porch and lateral apses to the nave. The altar was also modified, taking on a pentagonal shape. From the original wooden monument, oak beams from the altar and nave remain, while the fir foundation beams date from the time of Stephen the Great.
The wooden church in Putna (originally from Rădăuţi) holds great significance, as it was the first princely necropolis of Moldavia.