Biserica de Lemn Cuvioasa Paraschiva

The parish of Scurtu-Drăceşti is located in the village of Drăceşti, part of the commune of Scurtu Mare in Teleorman County. Geographically, the locality is located in southern Romania, in the Romanian Plain, in the Găvanu-Burdea area, along the Clăniţa Valley. Access is via county road 506, which connects the localities of Vităneşti, Găleteni, Scurtu and Negreni.

The village first appears in documents from the 17th century under the name of Motomeni or Motomenul, a name derived from the Motomeni estate, on which it developed. The living conditions of the villagers were difficult, as evidenced by documents showing that some inhabitants were sold as slaves to various boyars. Later, in historical documents, the village is mentioned either as Motomeni-Drăceşti or just Drăceşti.

In 1805, according to documents, the Motomeni Drăceşti estate owners owned the entire Motomeni estate. In the second half of the 19th century, the estate was the property of I.C. Slăvescu, recognized as the owner of the village of Drăceşti. At the beginning of the 19th century, the village had around 60 families, and their number remained approximately the same until the end of the century. In 1972, the population was 775 inhabitants, and in 1994 it decreased to 456. Today, around 100 families live in Drăceşti.

The current wooden church in the village was brought from Cocu, Argeş County, being transported by carts and installed in Drăceşti, although the exact year of this operation is not known with precision – it is assumed between 1856 and 1859. It is dedicated to the Virgin Parascheva and is located on the right bank of the Clăniţa River, on the highest point in the village. The church was repaired towards the end of the 19th century.

The construction is made of solid and thick oak beams, dovetailed at the corners, without being plastered on the outside. From a typological point of view, the church has a rectangular plan, with an over-extended narthex, and the porch has an original shape, supported by six front pillars. The dimensions of the building are approximately 13 meters long and 5 meters wide. The roof is gabled and has a single spire located predominantly above the narthex.

Inside, the walls are painted in fresco, but this is damaged. Due to its form, age and artistic value, the "Venerable Parascheva" Church in Drăceşti was declared a historical monument in 1969. Over time, several priests served here: Ioan Popescu (1852), Badea Ciupăgeanu (until 1907), Lăzărescu (until 1926), Nichifor Florescu (1926-1930), Vasile Mişu (1930-1934), Voicu Maioru (1934-1943), Vasile Bădescu (in 1944 and 1948), Nicolae Popescu (1944-1947), Ştefan Gheorghe (1948-1952), Traian Ionescu (1952-1959), Emil Georgescu (in 1960), Mirică Cristea (1961-1962), Ion Ştefănescu (1963-1967), Roşu Dumitru (1967-2008) and Ciomag Cornel (since 2008).

Sursa: episcopiaalexandriei.ro