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Rural Sites with Fortified Churches in Transylvania

Having their origin in the region of the Rhine and the Mosela (Luxembourg – Saxonia), where their name comes from, the Transylvanian Saxons were first sent to form colonies in Transylvania at the beginning of the 12th century. The initial purpose for which they had been sent to the south-eastern borders of Transylvania was an economic one: the Hungarian rulers wanted them to set up rich villages and towns that would bring consistent revenues. The invasions, the attacks and the devastating raids that were common during the Medieval Age forced them to turn their churches into real fortresses. Those violent ages have passed and the edifices that are still marked by the traces of heavy attacks appear today as amazing treasures of a unique reality.

THE CITADEL of CALNIC. The citadel is located in the village with the same name, in the district of Alba, at a distance of 13 km from Sebes. It was built around the year 1,200 and – according to a document from 1,267 in which it was mentioned – it belonged to the counts of Kelling. It includes an oval precincts dominated by the Siegfried Tower, which is composed of the ground floor and three dwelling floors, a chapel and two watch towers. In the 15th and 16th centuries arrangements were made for it to become a rural citadel whose defense system was completed by adding an external range of massive walls and a water ditch that surrounded the citadel. Near the citadel you can see the former vicarage built in the 16th century, while an access road leads you to the Protestant church built in the 15th century by the Saxon Transylvanian community. Four centuries later this church was given a Neo-gothic appearance that still preserves its original painting and elements of sculpture. Documentary and art exhibits were organized in the halls of the citadel, and the Chapel became an assembly hall in which symposiums, discussion sessions and congresses are organized. Concerts and auditions of medieval, Renaissance or Baroque music also took place in these rooms. A museum of feudal art can be visited in the same place. After the restoration works were finished (1961-1964), the city was declared an architectural monument.

PREJMER. It is located at a distance of 15 km from Brasov. The city that is the most massive construction of this type in Transylvania was built in the 14th and 15th centuries in the shape of a circle and it was provided with walls of 3-4 m thick and of 12 m high, with bastions, iron gates and drawbridges. It includes an unusual war device: the famous “death organ”, made of several weapons that could shoot at the same time causing the enemies severe losses. The city was surrounded by deep ditches that were filled with water whenever enemies were close. One of the most ancient churches in Transylvania, with a unique architecture, can be seen in the centre of the city. The church altar is a precious 15 century work of art.

VISCRI. Visited by prince Charles of Great Britain and enjoying his appreciation, the rural citadel of Viscri is located in the district of Bunesti, at a distance of 17 km from Rupea – in the Brasov county. If you go behind its walls you will see one of the few Romanic hall-churches of the 13th century built in the Gothic style; some changes were made to the church in the 15th-17th centuries. The hall-church is delimited by the room of the quire, whose initial shape was semicircular, at the east and by a massive tower at the west. Vestiges of Romanic sculptural art still exist inside the church (the font, the niche, the triumphal arch, the portal). The wall that surrounds the citadel is fortified with three towers and two bastions. Between 1970-1971 complex restoration actions were performed within the citadel – the defense passage of the eastern bastion was one of the elements that were rebuilt then.

DARJIU. Located at a distance of 18 km from Odorheiu Secuiesc, the fortified church from Darjiu is a historical and religious architectural monument that appears to be in good condition even today. The fortress is surrounded by a high, imposing stone wall. The Romanic architectural elements date since the 12th-14th centuries, and the Gothic ones since the second half of the 15th century. The church was fortified in 1,400, and the Gothic frescoes (that were painted in 1,419) illustrate the legend of king Ladislau, as well as scenes inspired by the ordeal of the martyrs. The church is placed in the centre of the precincts and it is surrounded by a 5 m high defense wall. According to an inscription discovered in 1,952, the tile roof dates since 1,760. Located to the south of the church itself, the church tower is the most ancient part of the fortification system.

SASCHIZ. Located at a distance of 20 km from Sighisoara, the rural citadel of Saschiz is a refuge that dates since the 14th century. It was built by the German community on a hill west of the village and it was provided with 7-9 m high stone walls and square defense towers. It represents an exception because the Saxon Transylvanian citadels were built inside villages or towns, not outside them. The city that still preserves many of its initial architectural elements includes a precincts wall with four towers at the corners and two towers placed at the gates (the Gate Tower and the Watch Tower), whose main function was to guard and protect the citadel. A chapel was built in the centre of the precincts. A rich and varied archaeological treasure was discovered here: a large quantity of prehistoric and medieval ceramics objects, medieval and modern coins, a sword, a ring, a bracket – all the materials are being studied. The treasure is in the custody of the History Museum in Sighisoara. The citadel was restored in 2,000.

BIERTAN. Biertan is located at a distance of 25 km from Medias. Placed in the centre of the village, the citadel is in a very good condition; the façade of the site was not altered by the presence of the more recent outsized buildings, so there is still a harmonious relation between the monument, the town and the natural environment. The first precincts of the church (provided with four towers) is located on the top of the hill, while the second one is at its bottom and captivates the attention through a series of arches that support the guard hall. Built in the late Gothic style and first mentioned in an official document in the year 1,412, the church was erected on the ruins of a very ancient edifice and it was subject to changes and enlargements in the next centuries. Its interior is stylistically homogenous, the main furniture pieces and the artistic stone sculptures dating since the same period. The church holds extremely valuable pieces: a late Gothic altar screen, as well as a sophisticated chandelier. The vestry gate is endowed with an ingenious system of fasteners (a remarkable achievement of the medieval artists) is considered to have a great value. The seven carpets brought from Asia Minor, other fabrics that illustrate the flags of the guilds, the font and doors from the north, south and west are also invaluable pieces. The fortified church from Biertan also gained a historical value due to the fact that it was the headquarters of the Transylvanian Lutheran Bishopric for three centuries.

VALEA VIILOR (The Vineyards Valley). The church is located in the village of the Vineyards Valley, at a distance of 11 km from Medias. It is a Protestant church whose patron is “St. Peter” and it represents a historical and architectural religious monument of large dimensions: built in the 13th century in the Romanic style, the church was enlarged and fortified in the 15th and 16th centuries by adding a range of strong 8 m high walls provided with defense towers. Valuable pieces representative for the ancient religious furniture can still be seen in the interior (pews in the style of the early Renaissance dating since 1,528, a Gothic tabernacle, etc.).

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