Densuș (, ) is a commune in

Hunedoara County Hunedoara County () is a county (''județ'') of Romania, in Transylvania, with its capital city at Deva, Romania, Deva. The county is part of the Danube–Criș–Mureș–Tisa Euroregion. Name In Hungarian language, Hungarian, it is known as , ...

Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

and the site of Densuș Church. It is composed of seven villages: Criva, Densuș, Hățăgel (''Hacazsel''), Peșteana (''Nagypestény''), Peștenița (''Kispestény''), Poieni (''Pojény''), and Ștei (''Stejvaspatak'').

Geography

The commune is situated at an altitude of , in the foothills of the

Poiana Ruscă Mountains The Poiana Ruscă Mountains (part of the Western Carpathians) are a Carpathian mountain range in western Romania. The mountains are situated roughly south of the Mureș River, northeast of the Timiș River, and west of the Strei River. The Beg ...

, north of the

Retezat Mountains The Retezat Mountains (, ) are one of the highest massifs in Romania, being part of the Southern Carpathians. The highest peak is Peleaga (Vârful Peleaga), at an altitude of . Other important peaks are Păpușa (Vârful Păpușa, "the Doll Pea ...

. It lies on the banks of Râul Galben and its tributaries, the Breazova and Pârâul Fierului. Densuș is located in the southwestern part of the county, on the border with

Caraș-Severin County Caraș-Severin () is a county ( județ) of Romania on the border with Serbia. The majority of its territory lies within the historical region of Banat, with a few northeastern villages considered part of Transylvania. The county seat is Reșița ...

. It is situated in the historical and ethnographical area known as

Țara Hațegului Țara Hațegului ("Hațeg Land"; , , ) is a historical and ethnographical area in Hunedoara County, Romania, in the south-western corner of Transylvania. It is centered in the town of Hațeg. Țara Hațegului is located in the Depression of Hațe ...

, west of its hub, the town of

Hațeg Hațeg (; ; ) is a town in Hunedoara County, Romania with a population of 8,793 as of 2021. Three villages are administered by the town: Nălațvad (''Nalácvád''), Silvașu de Jos (''Alsószilvás''), and Silvașu de Sus (''Felsőszilvás''). I ...

. The commune is crossed by

national road The National Road (also known as the Cumberland Road) was the first major improved highway in the United States built by the federal government. Built between 1811 and 1837, the road connected the Potomac and Ohio Rivers and was a main tran ...

, which connects Hațeg to

Caransebeș Caransebeș (; ; , Hungarian pronunciation: ) is a city in Caraș-Severin County, part of the Banat region in southwestern Romania. One village, Jupa (), is administered by the city. The city is located at the confluence of the Timiș River with ...

Densuș Church

The St. Nicholas Church in Densuș is the oldest Orthodox stone church in Romania, dating from the 12th century. It has a square plan, with the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

pierced by a tower, resting on a vault and equipped with a deep semicircular

apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...

. The entire construction is covered with stone slabs, with most of the material probably coming from nearby

Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa Ulpia Traiana Augusta Dacica Sarmizegetusa was the Capital (political), capital, the first, and largest city of Roman Dacia, named after ''Sarmizegetusa Regia, Sarmizegetusa'' the former Dacian capital, located some 30 km away. It was foun ...

, the capital of

Roman Dacia Roman Dacia ( ; also known as ; or Dacia Felix, ) was a province of the Roman Empire from 106 to 271–275 AD. Its territory consisted of what are now the regions of Oltenia, Transylvania and Banat (today all in Romania, except the last regi ...

. Inside the church there are 15th century mural paintings made by artist Ștefan that show Jesus wearing Romanian traditional clothes.

Natives

* Aron Densușianu (1837–1900), critic, literary historian, folklorist, and poet *

Nicolae Densușianu Nicolae Densușianu (; 18 April 1846 – 24 March 1911) was a Romanian ethnologist and collector of Romanian folklore. He was a corresponding member of the Romanian Academy, with a specialty in history. His main work, for which he is chiefly ...

(1846–1911), ethnologist and collector of Romanian folklore

References

Communes in Hunedoara County Localities in Transylvania Țara Hațegului {{Hunedoara-geo-stub

Geography

Densuș Church

Natives

See also

References