Pleși: Routes and Historic Wayside Crosses

Two topics are particularly concrete when it comes to understanding Pleși: routes that pass through the hamlet, and religious wayside crosses at Găujoare and Curmătura Greșilor.

Routes through and above Pleși

The themed Gradus Legionis hiking trail is nearly 46 km long and passes through the hamlet of Pleși. It attempts to retrace the Roman conquest route to the Dacian fortress of Căpâlna. The nearly 46 km refers to Gradus Legionis as a whole; the route also passes through the hamlet of Pleși.

The Săsciori–Curmături–Cabana Şureanu route has a different character. Pleși is a named stage on this route, which runs almost entirely along ridge paths and is suitable for mountain biking. When comparing the routes, note that Gradus Legionis is nearly 46 km long and attempts to retrace a Roman conquest route; the route via Curmături runs almost entirely along ridge paths and is suitable for mountain biking.

A route description from 2021 gives a route marked TA in the Șureanu Mountains, from the area of the Roman fort and “Frumoasa” visitor center via Pleși to Cetatea Căpâlna. This describes another sequence of trails with Pleși as an intermediate point.

Scattered houses and scenery along the route

The houses in Pleși are more scattered than those in Loman. Along the route described, the houses become less frequent beyond Pleși; summer settlements and sheepfolds take their place.

Two wayside crosses with different details

Crucea lui Chirilă is a painted wooden cross in a stone shrine at the “Găujoare” point in Pleși. The painted depiction shows the Crucifixion, God the Father, the Virgin Mary, Saint John, Adam’s skull, and the city of Jerusalem.

Another work is Crucea din Curmătura Greșilor: a Greek-style stone wayside cross at the place of the same name in Pleși. It bears the letters “IC XC” and a Cyrillic inscription at its base: “TOM…”. Its east-southeast-facing side is oriented toward the road and has a simple, incised border decoration. Compared with Crucea lui Chirilă, the crosses differ in both material and form: the Greek-style stone cross with its inscriptions is set apart from the painted wooden cross in the stone shrine. The visible details also differ: the painted depiction and its named motifs define the wooden cross, while the stone cross bears inscriptions and an incised border decoration.

The archaeological connection to Căpâlna

In the vicinity of the Dacian fortress of Căpâlna, differences in the dimensions of the bases led to the conclusion that they came from two different sanctuaries located on the fortress terraces. Unlike Gradus Legionis, which attempts to retrace a Roman conquest route, this archaeological interpretation concerns the sanctuaries on the fortress terraces.

Discover more destinations: Vințu de Jos, Arieşeni, Lancrăm, Ţelna, Ponor, Vadu Moților, Gârbova, Ampoița.

For the broader travel overview: Alba.