**2. Historical and geographical area description of Lapuș Country**

Over time, in the geographical area of Romania where the Romanian population lives or lived, several historical regions have emerged, which throughout history have belonged in whole or in part to the voivodeships founded in the tenth century (for Transylvania) and the fourteenth century (Moldova, the Romanian Country, and Dobrogea), either to the neighboring states. The boundaries and the names of these regions also known as "countries" evolved over time. Some or all of them have, temporarily or more permanently, constituted the territory of Romania.

Prior to the establishment of the traditional regions, there were Romanian countries (founded in the post-Roman period, in the early Middle Ages), called by historians the popular Romania and by the foreign chroniclers of Vlahii, some constituted in the form of cnese, others as simple rural communities, such as the lands of Crasne, Lăpuș, Gurghiului, Moţi, Almaș, Făgărașului, and Bârsei (in Transylvania).

Transylvania or Ardeal (in Latin Transylvania or Transsylvania, in Hungarian Erdély, in German Siebenbürgen, in the Saxon dialect of Siweberjen, in Turkish Erdelistan) is a historical and geographical region located within the Carpathian

*A Survey of Physical Parameters and Natural Radioactivity in the Wooden Church… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.92063*

**Figure 1.** *Map Lăpuș Country.*

helps the restaurateurs to know the general state of conservation from the perspective of the physical, chemical, and biological parameters which generated the current state. This knowledge is a necessity for the correct evaluation of the operations to be performed in the future: cleaning, consolidation, structural stabilization,

The modern society is facing a rapid evolution technology with the price of high environment pollution. Additionally, climate change has become a priority on the

Romania has a rich cultural heritage through the places of worship located throughout the country represented by wooden churches built over the centuries of Christianity. This fact is being favored by the political conditions specific to each period, as well as the accessibility of the construction materials and low cost [4, 5]. The wooden architecture represents one of the most magnificent examples of built heritage almost all over the world. They occupy an important place in the traditional building in Russia, North and Eastern Europe [6]. Unfortunately, all historical monuments can be affected by different factors under natural environmental conditions, i.e., aging of the materials, lack of maintenance, inadequate use, or natural hazards [7]. A better understanding of the structural behavior of these buildings is a crucial step to prevent social, cultural, and economic losses [4]. This study aims to be the first in a larger project focusing on monitoring the physical parameters of temperature, humidity, and natural radioactivity, inside wooden churches or walls with interior murals painting that are in an advanced state of degradation. The study was conducted in the wooden church of "Archan-

list of the Sustainable Development Agenda of European countries [3].

gels Mihail and Gavril" in the village of Draghia in the Lapuș Country.

Determining the relative humidity (rH) of the air inside the church is the first step in the study—humidity is one of the most important causes of degradation being suffered by churches historical monument, especially those lacking water-

An essential condition is to know the history of the church, its characteristics, the geographical position, the previous restorations and consolidations, and the current degradation state. The action of degradation factors is cumulative and the consequence is not necessarily immediate, but over time, they can cause significant

Over time, in the geographical area of Romania where the Romanian population lives or lived, several historical regions have emerged, which throughout history have belonged in whole or in part to the voivodeships founded in the tenth century (for Transylvania) and the fourteenth century (Moldova, the Romanian Country, and Dobrogea), either to the neighboring states. The boundaries and the names of these regions also known as "countries" evolved over time. Some or all of them have, temporarily or more permanently, constituted the territory of Romania. Prior to the establishment of the traditional regions, there were Romanian countries (founded in the post-Roman period, in the early Middle Ages), called by historians the popular Romania and by the foreign chroniclers of Vlahii, some constituted in the form of cnese, others as simple rural communities, such as the lands of Crasne, Lăpuș, Gurghiului, Moţi, Almaș, Făgărașului, and Bârsei (in Tran-

Transylvania or Ardeal (in Latin Transylvania or Transsylvania, in Hungarian Erdély, in German Siebenbürgen, in the Saxon dialect of Siweberjen, in Turkish Erdelistan) is a historical and geographical region located within the Carpathian

**2. Historical and geographical area description of Lapuș Country**

hydrous, and chromatic [2].

*Heritage*

proof insulation [8].

losses.

sylvania).

**204**

Arch, one of the historical regions of Romania. Over time, it was part of Dacia, the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Hungary, and the Austrian Empire. For about 170 years, between 1526 and 1699, it was autonomous, under the sovereignty of the Ottoman Empire, under the name of the Principality of Transylvania. In this capacity, it played a significant role in the 30-year war, on the part of the Protestant coalition. With the imperial victories on the anti-Ottoman front, Transylvania came under Habsburg administration, but formally retained its statehood until 1867, being governed by governors appointed by Vienna.

Transylvania is an important province of the Romanian political space, with a history that is strongly reflected through its multicultural particularities and the material evidence of its inhabitants. In time, heterogeneity, both ethnical (Romanians, Ukrainians, Hungarians, Germans, Jewish, etc.) and confessional (Orthodox, Catholics, Protestants, Neoprotestants, etc.), materialized into religious edifices [9, 10].

The northern area of Transylvania is the land of Maramureş, Lăpuş, Chioar, and Codrului, where we found over 100 wooden churches built since the seventeenth century (**Figure 1**) [11].

All wooden churches (main map) belong entirely to the Orthodox and Greek-Catholic confessions. Among these, there are eight remarkable churches included in the UNESCO world heritage list [12–16]. Built of wood, they continue to exist today thanks to the skill of the craftsmen and to the historical monument status enjoyed by 33 of the edifices (LMI, 2015) [17].

The land of Lapuş is the land of wood, tradition, and monasteries. In this region of Maramures, the time seems to have remained in place, and people have kept the centuries-old traditions. In the area of Lăpuşului, the remains of the authentic dowry still remain, from the ancestral architecture to the style, shape, and size of the households. Here you can admire the old wooden houses, with narrow porches (logs), supported by ornate oak pillars, glued with clay on the floor, shaded by garlands of vines, the large courtyards, and before, to the oilfield, the small kindergartens, flowers, shaded by plum, pear, or cherry [18].
