Vârtop: Church, Archaeology and the Baboia River

At the Muzeul Olteniei Craiova, the Vârtop treasure was presented as part of the project “Aurul şi Argintul Antic al României”; it comprises 45 coins and numerous other pieces of jewellery.

Culture and History

The Biserica Sf. Nicolae in Vârtop was built before 1800 on the site of an earlier wooden church that had burned down. The church has two patron saints: Saint Hierarch Nicholas and the holy emperors Constantine and Helena. The former wooden structure is therefore part of the history preceding the present church; the later work, by contrast, concerned the roof as well as the interior and exterior appearance.

In 1881, the roof of the church in Vârtop was repaired; the shingles were replaced with tiles. In 1894, the interior and exterior appearance of the church in Vârtop was altered.

On 1 March, the inhabitants of Vârtop pray for their fields to yield crops and their herds to grow. Alongside the building history and patron saints, this custom therefore represents a separate cultural reference point for the place.

Archaeology

The municipality of Vârtop contains a settlement and several burial mounds from the Hallstatt period, dating approximately from 1200 to 450/300 BC.

Finds from the Hallstatt settlement and the burial mounds in the municipality of Vârtop include large, highly polished storage vessels. The municipality of Vârtop also contains a silver hoard of Dacian coins and fibulae. The archaeological information ranges from the settlement and burial mounds to vessels, coins and fibulae; it therefore refers to different types of finds and periods.

A digitated fibula with a foot featuring a prosomorphous knob from the 7th century AD was found in Vârtop. The village of Vârtop was established in 1700. The type of find, its period and its spatial reference thus represent different levels of the archaeological information.

Geographical Location

The municipality of Vârtop lies in the contact zone between the Câmpia Desnățuiului and the Piemontul Bălăciței, on the Baboia River.

It is located on the DJ-552 county road, 43 km from Craiova. The geographical classification is based on landscape areas and the river reference on the one hand, and the county road and distance on the other.

The landscape area, river reference, county road and distance from Craiova provide different geographical details. The road connection and distance are two separate reference points: one identifies the county road, while the other specifies the distance from Craiova.

When comparing hotels in Vârtop, travel dates, room category and cancellation conditions can clarify separate questions. The travel dates define the period under consideration, the room category narrows down the respective offer, and the cancellation conditions make the applicable change or withdrawal rules visible. This keeps the timing, the chosen type of accommodation and the financial conditions distinguishable from one another.

Other places: Calafat, Başcov, Podari, Călăraşi, Pielești, Coţofenii Din Faţă, Craiova, Bechet

Annual Cycle

The community day of Vârtop is assigned to the third week of May. The community day is mentioned as a separate date in May.

For the overarching travel overview: Dolj.