Vârtop combines local church history with archaeological traces from different periods. It also has a traditional Mărțișor custom and a community day associated with the third week of May. When choosing a holiday rental, this range of themes can help you decide what brings you to the area: will local history, archaeology or a possible date in May be the focus?
Location between landscape regions
The municipality of Vârtop lies in the transition zone between the Câmpia Desnățuiului and the Piemontul Bălăciței, by the Baboia River. It is also on county road DJ-552; Craiova is 43 km away. This gives you two ways to orient yourself when planning your trip: the municipality’s position within the landscape regions, and its location in relation to the road and distance. The landscape names situate the municipality, while the county road and distance provide additional geographical context.
Biserica Sf. Nicolae: building phases and dedications
The village of Vârtop was founded in 1700; Biserica Sf. Nicolae was built before 1800 on the site of an earlier wooden church that had burned down. The village’s founding and the church’s construction are thus two separate dates in the area’s history. Later changes to the church are recorded for 1881 and 1894: in 1881, the roof was repaired and the shingles were replaced with tiles. In 1894, the church’s interior and exterior appearance were altered. The roof work and the later changes to the interior and exterior affected different parts of the building, marking distinct stages in its architectural history. The church has two dedications: Saint Hierarch Nicholas and the Holy Emperors Constantine and Helena. This dual dedication adds another aspect to the church’s history.
Archaeological traces from different periods
The municipality of Vârtop is home to a settlement and several burial mounds from the Hallstatt period, dating approximately from 1200 to 450/300 BC. Finds from these contexts include large, highly polished storage vessels. The dating places the settlement and burial mounds in time; the vessels provide a specific example of the archaeological material. The Vârtop hoard was presented at Muzeul Olteniei Craiova as part of the project “Aurul şi Argintul Antic al României.” It comprises 45 coins and numerous other jewellery objects. A digitated fibula with a foot bearing a prosomorphous knob is dated to the 7th century AD. The Hallstatt settlement and burial mounds, on the one hand, and the fibula, on the other, therefore belong to different archaeological periods.
Mărțișor and community day
A Mărțișor prayer by the people of Vârtop is recorded for 1 March. It calls for good yields in the fields and growth in the herds, giving the area’s history an agricultural dimension alongside its church and archaeology. Vârtop’s community day is associated with the third week of May. If you would like to plan your trip around it, check the local programme for the relevant year before finalising your dates. This lets you base your travel plans on the themes documented here and, if you wish, on the confirmed programme for the community day.
Discover more destinations: Coţofenii Din Faţă, Calafat, Călăraşi, Podari, Başcov, Craiova, Afumați, Pielești
For the broader travel overview: Dolj.
