The stock of rare books and icons at the "Assembly of the Twelve Holy Apostles" monastery in Bârsana was established following the transfer, from 1st of November 1998, of the store house of the objects pertaining to the national cultural heritage from the Sighet Archpriestship to Bârsana Monastery, of the same Archpriestship. Currently the objects pertaining to the national cultural heritage are preserved in the museum of the monastery housed in a building built for this specific purpose. The museum is located in the south-east precinct of the monastery, near the bell tower. The architectural design is based on the value of the architectural tradition specific of the hist...orical Maramureş area and integration into the site. The museum is a building structured on three levels: basement, ground floor and first floor. The basement and ground floor are built on a structure of brick walls and reinforced concrete pits, and the floor is made of wood. The interior is dominated by a free space throughout the building height. The project is designed to provide display room for icons and display windows with old books, on the ground floor, and workshops where the nuns perform the art of weaving, of painting icons on various supports, in the basement, and upstairs there are the ethnographic exhibits. Upstairs the spaces for exhibits are linked by a corridor of the tent type. All these spaces are designed to create the image of a Maramureş homestead, as the carpentry and furniture are inspired by the local style. There is also a place for rest and meditation, the pavilion, an element characteristic of Romanian architecture. The first floor and basement can be reached through two symmetrical staircases so one can go around for a visit. The museum of the monastery has a permanent exhibition of heritage manuscripts and books from the 16th – 19th centuries, old icons and a rich collection of objects of local folk art.
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