The 18th-century log cabin church of Malec in the village of Kučani, in the municipality of Nova Varoš, stands proudly surrounded by pine trees, and its photos intrigue the world.
A photo of the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary was published on the popular Instagram page architectanddesign and everyone is wondering what story is hidden under those pine trees. And it turns out, the story is even more fascinating than they can imagine.
The log church in Kučani (Peta), supposedly the oldest log church in this region, was placed under the protection of the state as a monument of exceptional importance.
The smallest, and perhaps the oldest, log cabin church on Zlatibor is surrounded by a crown of pines, spacious meadows and pastures, writes the portal Užicenet.
According to some data, it was built a little before 1780, while the chancel was added in 1838. In the church there are imperial doors, the work of Simeon Lazovic, an icon painter from Bijelo Polje. According to the record, the doors were painted in 1780, presumably at the time of the construction of this temple.
Together with the altar space and the chancel, it is 6.5 meters long and 3 meters wide. The height from the floor to the ceiling is only 2 meters.
The west and north doors are only 112 cm high. The floor is paved with stone slabs of an irregular shape, and the western door on the porch, which can be assumed to be from the time of the construction of the church, is decorated very decoratively.
Although small, this church is expertly made and is a significant creation of folk builders from Stari Vlach, who during the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century were appreciated and known throughout western Serbia, where log houses and log churches were built the most, according to sources.
