The „Dormition of the Virgin Mary” Wooden Church of the ex-hermitage of Hârşova (Hârsoviţa), Mănăstirea Village, Deleşti Commune, Vaslui County (code LMI 2004: VS-II-m-A-06855)

The church was founded in 1756 by the great dignitary Ştefan Caracaş, called Găluşcă, instead of the old church of the hermitage having the bearing of Saint Nicholas, certificated before 1669.

In 1803, the hermitage was a branch of the Floreşti Monastery from the ex-County Tutova, dedicated in 1814 to the Esfigmenul Monastery from Athos Mountain. After the secularization of the monastic dowers from 1863, the hermitage was dissolved, and the church had become parish. After the repairs from 1913, the shingle wrapper was replaced with sheet, and the north façade was wadded with plank. Then, the threshold was closed and plinth with cement was daubed. According to the tradition, the church was built in the middle of the forest, with oak wood from there. Nowadays is situated in the northern side of the village, surrounded by the cemetery.

It’s remarkable through the rarity of the plan-the only church of this kind from the Diocese of Huşi, through the harmony of the volumes and the decoration which clings to the medieval art of wall.

Church with rectangular plan, with unhooked polygonal in seven sides apse of the altar and threshold on the west, supported on hacked in accolade in the superior side pillars. It’s built on river stone foundation and timber support. The carrying walls are fortified with oak beam girders, carved on the edge, closed in „arrow” at the altar and „in straight loops” at the corners. The four shade roof has long eaves. The vaulting system is made of bolts of octagonal section on the narthex, nave and altar. The vaults have bases, keys and arch ribs hacked with „saw teeth”, chaterinewheel, „creeping stalk” and „bulbs”. The façades are decorated with a middle girdle of geometrical shape and a frize of  alcoves under the cornice. The harts are hacked with the „head of horse” motive, and the beams with „wolf teeth”. The rectangular intermediary plan frameworks of the windows and the doorway are decorated with the motives „creeping stalk” and „tulip”. The four separation pillars between the nave and the narthex have routes in accolade, curved lines and counter curves.

The iconostasis (18^th and 19^th centuries) has the signature of Gligori painter, and the religious books, denotations of the founder. At the east of the altar, there is the funeral stone of the founder, decorated with a floral border, of which inscription is eroded by time.