In the locality Pătulele, the first church, from which there derives the Saint Nicolas church, was in a cottage, with a special bell tower, somewhere on the hill, and more above than were the commune is now.
This church in a cottage was burned by the Turks and since then it remained with the name “the burnt church”. Together with the moving of the inhabitants closer to Pătulele, in the place called Boierești, was also built a church on the current land of Saint Nicolas church, from wooden bars, brought from the forest Vlădaia, situated on for stone seats. This church, built after the year 1840, it functioned as an only church of the locality Pătulelel. Around the year 1883, this church becoming uncomprehending, it was built a church from the wall with the titular saint of Saint Gheorghe, with the help of the Prince Alexandru B. Știrbei, the owner from that period of the property.
Around the year 1878, when it became unfitting for the religious services, the wooden church Saint Nicolas was closed at the recommendation of His Eminence the Bishop Ghenadie Enăchescu, who visited Pătulele. The church goers of the small wooden church Saint Nicolas, collected the funds either from the village, or from the neighboring villages, in order to build up from the wall the current one, putting its foundation in 1903.
Saint Nicolas Church, built by the architect V. Cartianu, painter Ștefan Năchescu and master Bojin Marcovici, with the contribution of the aristocrats Gh. Crețeanu, Gh. Balș and Gh. Moruzzi, it was consecrated on the date of the 8th of May 1905. Around the Saint Nicolas church there is also found the village’s cemetery, where there were buried the ones who died until the year 1873 and where there are found even nowadays the tomb crosses.
Pătulele is a locality from the county of Mehedinți, the commune with the most expanded surface, the biggest number of inhabitants, in a continuous development and modernization.
The zonal activities which are part of the commune’s life are: the cultivating of cereals, the cultivating of vegetables, the grape growing, zootechny and beekeeping.
Among the most important economical activities there are: the agriculture, the retail commerce, crushing – mill and bread manufacture, the wood manufacturing by the local handicraftsmen.
The locality numbers 1760 household, 3 kindergartens and 3 schools.
According to the last census, the locality numbered 3892 citizens.
