3D Modelling of an Important Symbol of the Orthodox Wooden Churches – The Imperial Gates

The paper presents an on-going process to digitally reconstruct the Imperial Gates of the old Romanian orthodox churches scattered on a large geographical area in Transylvania. Due to the locations of the churches and to the indestructible character of the iconostasis, the 3D scanning had to be contact-free. The actual chosen method is a low cost method, based upon free software that allows scanning of three-dimensional objects and does not rely on specific hardware. The intended final result is to provide a collection of 3D models of the Imperial Gates that could be further integrated in other projects of the Art and Design University and of the Faculty of Orthodox Theology, “Babeș Bolyai” University, from Cluj-Napoca, Romania.