The House with Coats of Arms in Chiojdu

The House with Coats of Arms in Chiojdu is a historic monument of national importance (code BZ-II-m-A-02383), located in the village of Chiojdu, Chiojdu commune, Buzău County, on a knoll in the centre of the village, behind the school. The building was raised around 1760 by the Izbășoi free peasants (moșneni) — free landowners holding estates in common, a social standing considered unique in Europe. In 1823, in the early 19th century, an oriel (sacnasiu) was added, giving the house the look of a boyar manor. Its name comes from the eight coats of arms carved above the entrance, on the porch. The central one depicts the double-headed eagle, symbol of the Byzantine emperors and emblem of the Cantacuzino family, settled in the Romanian Principalities after the fall of Constantinople (1453) — making the house the only trace of Byzantine heraldry in Romanian folk architecture. The porch preserves hand-carved oak columns and beams with ancient symbolic motifs (ram's horns, the solar disc), while the interior and exterior stucco work is considered unique in Europe. Long left in ruin, the house was acquired by the Union of Romanian Architects and restored with European funds, opening to visitors in 2015 as a museum of the traditional art of the Buzău Mountains. Its style influenced other buildings in the county capital, such as the Vergu-Mănăilă House and the Trandafirilor Manor in Crâng Park. It can be visited free of charge by appointment. The house is worth visiting for its unique coats of arms, its refined peasant architecture and the symbolic richness of its decorations.