Twelve places of worship in Oltenia de sub Munte, Vâlcea county, have been 3D-scanned and can be visited virtually from this week, Agerpres reported. The Kogayon Association project, backed by the Investment and Development Bank, aims both at tourism promotion and restoration documentation.

Coordinator Florin Stoican said scanning reveals details easy to miss on site and gives owners, researchers and authorities the “point cloud” — the digital base of any 3D project — without extra cost to them.

Already available on the Oltenia de sub Munte site, and soon in an app, are Marița wooden church (Vaideeni), Dionisie’s pavilion at Hurezi, Grămești wooden church, Bistrița Monastery’s infirmary church, Arnota Monastery, Covrești church and the hermitages 44 Springs, Pahomie, Iezer, Bradu, Peri and Jgheaburi. Two rock-cut chapels in the Bats’ Cave, scanned last year as a pilot, are included.

Kogayon is also pursuing UNESCO geopark status. It wants to extend scans to caves, museums, gorges and even vanished monuments — such as Queen Maria’s bridge at the entrance to Bistrița Gorges, to be rebuilt virtually.

The 12-site scanning project costs about €36,000, of which €20,000 comes from the Investment and Development Bank. Virtual tours are free on phone, tablet or computer.

Stoican stressed some monuments truly need restoration, and the digital documentation spares administrators a major upfront expense.

Image: Hurezi Monastery (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.5).

Sources consulted: Vâlcea: 12 Oltenia de sub Munte churches 3D-scanned — Agerpres.