The Assumption of Mary Church, Coțofenii is part of the Ensemble of the Ensemble of the court of Coțofeni, situated in the village Coțofenii din Față, the commune Almaj. On the left border of the bottom land of the Jiu, the place which still keeps part of the ancient charm, with a view facing the forests from the valley. For many times, this was considered to be the model for the famous Tanase Scatiu. Here there were taken the most important scenes from the homonym movie in the years ’70 by the director Dan Pita. Currently, the mansion is still in litigation between the two owners who would want to recondition it.
The ensemble also comprises: The House of the Coțofeni, the Neo – Romanian mansion, the Neo – Classical house, the Park, the Old school. Situated at 18 kilometers from Craiova, on DE 70 Craiova – Timișoara, the locality Coțofenii din Față became a commune in the year 2004 by the detachment of Almăj. The village became known a couple of years ago for his bed and breakfast with traditional Romanian food.
From the historical point of view, the Ensemble of the Court of the Coțofeni and the House of the Coțofeni date back to the middle of the XVIIIth century, being included on the list of historical monuments in the year 2004. Currently, this mansion presents an advanced state of deterioration, without windows, doors or lights, but fortunately the thick walls of 70 – 80 cm. are intact, apparently without profound blanks. The basement of approximately 6 meters of height is also intact and seems to be just as solid as it was in the year in which it was built. The access staircase to the first floor is missing at the back veranda and it is incomplete at the one from the front. The mansion is situated on a margin of a hill, offering to the front veranda a magnificent view, towards the fields and the forests from Craiova. The mansion itself is invaded by a vegetation jungle and especially by a massive linden tree which grew, as if it was waiting to be invited to climb, even in the front of the stairs.
The “Assumption of Mary” church also situated on a sea front, at a certain distance, is the chapel of the yard – also replacing an older church, which disappeared around 1820, tells us Nicolae Iorga – built by the Coțofeanu familt in the year 1827 – 1831.
Built in 1830, the “Assumption of Mary” church is considered a historical monument. The place of worship keeps the original fresca. Unfortunately, the roof of clapboard burned in the years “’70 because of a lightning. The mural painting blackened because of the smoke, and the city hall and the parish didn’t find yet the necessary funds for the restoration. Because of the thieves, the church fortune decreased. In 2004, the place of worship was broken into. The thieves avoided a chalice worked in filigree from gold and silver, from 1836.
In the courtyard of the church there are also found the tombs of two Polish officers which settled in Romania at the middle of the XIXth century. On the marble flags there are encrusted the names of the ones who sleep their eternal sleep. The inscriptions are hard to deciphered, being covered by dust and goldilocks.
According to the census performed in 2011, the population of the commune Coțofenii din Față is up to 1.904 inhabitants, decreasing in comparison with the previous census from 2002, when there were registered 1.944 inhabitants. The majority of the inhabitants are Romanians (67, 33%) with a minority of Gypsies (27, 78%). For 4, 88% of the population, the ethnical affiliation isn’t known. From the confessional point of view, the majority of the inhabitants are Orthodox (95, 01%). For 4, 88% of the population, the confessional affiliation isn’t known.
