Evangelical Church in Bistriţa

Located at the foot of the Bârgau Mountains, not far from the Borgo Pass (Pasul Tihuţa in Romanian) which connects Transylvania region to the Bucovina one, the town of Bistriţa is one of the oldest around. Archeological findings indicate that the area has been inhabited since the Neolithic age, long before Bram Stoker chose it as the setting of his fictional Dracula’s castle.


Saxon colonists, who settled here in 1206, helped develop the town into a flourishing medieval trading post. First mentioned in 1264 as Villa Bistiche, the name was later changed to Civitas Bysterce. Soon enough, Bistritz, as it was known to its German inhabitants, became one of Transylvania’s most important Saxon citadels.


The greatest attraction of Bistriţa's Main Square is the Evangelical Church built by Transylvanian Saxons centuries ago. Under the present church were found the foundations of an older worship house raised by the Saxon settlers. The first mentioned parish in official documents was Johannis plebanus de Bystricia, noted in the papal tax registers of 1332-1333. Construction of the Gothic church with Renaissance elements (i.e. the pews) began in 1470 and was completed almost 100 years later by Petrus Italus de Lugano, who added renaissance elements to the structure. A 76.5 m high steeple (Saxons' Tower) overlooking the city was added later, making it the highest stone church tower in Romania.


The building of the new church, in the second half of XIV century, led to the lifting of a Roman basilica with three naves, having a polygonal choir and two towers flanking the main entrance of the northern wall of the choir, which will be expanded in mid 16th century. In a second step, the church was rebuilt as a Gothic basilica, with naves separated by octagonal pillars, which were taken when the church was restored in the 16th century, and ceiling was made semi cylindrical. Inside the church and the cemetery perimeter were raised several altars and chapels mentioned in documents of the time. An example is a shrine for the holy apostles Peter and Paul which was built in the church in 1499.


A third phase of construction started in 1475 and ended in 1520, when it became a Gothic-style hall church. In start 1487 started the building of a defense tower, included later in the church body after the demolition of the northern tower and the lifting of a turret with spiral staircase that ensure independent access to the new tower. Between them were kept two windows of the old facade (10th century). The tower was built in several stages: in 1487 it reached the middle of the second floor, according to the inscription carved on the northern outer wall, then the year 1509 is carved on the upper edge of the northern wall of the third floor, 1513 on the fourth and the 1519 on the fifth floor, although the works were completed in 1544 (according the accounts of the City Hall). Simultaneously it was mounted a watch which was under repair in 1521, and in 1570 was covered with gold better visibility. In 1857 the top of the tower burned, then was then rebuilt and in 1861 was installed the clock in use today. The Saxon Evangelical Church was restored several times, in 1897, 1901 and 1927.


Completed in 1563, as recorded in the inscription on the western portal, the works of the Swiss master have incorporated also elements of the new Renaissance visual language. On this occasion, the western façade changes fundamentally by building a impressive masonry pillar with correspondence in Polish space - hence the name of Polish attic.


Unfortunately, in 2008 a fire ruined the steeple and the damages have been assessed at more than 1 million Euro. The restoration works would take at least until 2010.


Inside the church one can admire a collection of 23 flags which belonged to the town’s former craft guilds, valuable renaissance-style pews designed by Johannes Begler in 1516, and a 500-year old organ. The statues decorating the belfry (St. Nicholas, the Holy Virgin with Child and Knight Roland) are representative of 15th century Transylvanian art and are similar to those found in the Black Church in Braşov and the Church on the Hill in Sighişoara.

Folk costumes of Transylvanian Germans

Siebenburgen(7 Cities, The Land of The Seven Burgs, Septem Castra) is the German name for Transylvania or Ardeal. The first Saxon settlers (Germans from Saxonia) arrived in Transylvania between 1141-1161. Although the colonists came mostly from the western Holy Roman Empire and generally spoke Franconian dialects, they were collectively known as Saxons

Theoretically, in Romania there are 12 groups of German settlers:
Transylvanian Saxons (saş), colonized between 1141-1161
Banat Swabians (şvabi), colonized in Banat region (SW) after 1700
Satu Mare Swabians, colonized after 1700 in NW Transylvania
Germans from Bessarabia and Bukovina (NE) colonized during both belonged to the Austrian Empire (18th century)
Germans in Dobruja (moved here by the communist regime in the '50) (SE)
Landlers from Austria, colonized between 1734-1777 in Sibiu (center)
Germans from Durlach (now part of the city of Karlsruhe, Germany)
Germans from Bohemia (colonized in the South Banat)
Germans from Styria (Austria), colonized in the Trascăului Mountains (or the Torockó) today Magyarized
Germans in Timişoara (Banat, SW)
Swabians (ţipţări), in Banat (SW)

Here are some folk costumes of Germans from Transylvania and Banat:


Hermannstadter - Sibiu (Hermannstadt)


Unterwald - Sebeş (Mühlbach)


Kokelgebiet - Mediaş & Sighişoara (Mediasch & Schassburg)


Burzenland - Braşov (Kronstadt)


Repser - Rupea (Reps)


Nosnerland - Bistriţa-Năsăud (Bistritz)


Landler - Turnişor, Cristian, Apoldu de Sus (Neppendorf, Grossau, Grosspold)


Schwabische - Banat

Today, in Romania live only 60,000 Germans.
Images from Romanian Museum

Mediaş

Mediaş (Saxon: Medwesch, Medeš, Medveš, German: Mediasch, Medwisch, Hungarian: Medgyes, Sekely: Megyeš) is the second largest city in Sibiu County, Transylvania, Romania.


An old settlement, Medias opens its gates generously to those who want to see the way time bears fruit between the Transylvanian hills. Mediaş is located in the middle basin of Târnava Mare River, at 39 km from Sighişoara and 41 km from Blaj. The setting up and the historic development of the town reflect the common destiny of the Romanians, the Hungarians, the Saxons and the other nations in a continuous process which belongs to their history.


The first signs of human communities in the area go as far as the middle Neolithic. In the XIII century, the kings of Hungary invited Germany settlers known as Transylvanian Saxons to the area, who settled in the valley of the Târnava Mare River. According to the tradition, the town was founded in 1146, being so one of the oldest cities in Transylvania. In 1200, here would have lived around 100 inhabitants and the first document that mentions the city is dated June 3, 1267. In 1318, the Hungarian king Charles Robert of Anjou offers the complete rights for the Sibiu region to the people living in Mediaş; in 1359, Mediaş is called for the first time a city ("civitas"). The first seal of Mediaş was used in 1448.


The St. Margaret Church was the first church built in Mediaş in 1414, and the first document that notes the presence of a hospital in the city is dated 1487. The city is fortified between 1490-1534 by the people living in Mediaş and Şeica, after a document signed in 1477 by the king Matthias Corvinus's office. In 1562 34 guilds are registered. The first mentioning of a school in Mediaş ("Schola civitatis") was in 1596.


Mediaş has one of the best preserved historical centers in Romania and also some well preserved medieval fortifications. One of the most impressive symbols of the town is the Tower of the Buglers, which is about 70 meters tall. Its construction started in the 13th century. In the 15th century it was raised to 5 tiers. The St. Margaret Church was finished at about the same time. Later, 3 more tiers were added in only 2 months. The roof consists of colored vitrified tiles, and 4 turrets were built. The tower had a guard, who would sound his bugle whenever an enemy approached. Therefore the tower has this name. The tower has in its South-Western corner (between the clocks) a small wooden man who rings a bell, thus announcing in advance when the clock will ring on the hour. The heavy pressure of the tower on the sandy soil is the reason why the tower is slightly tilted to the North. Between 1927 and 1930, and later in 1972, the tower was consolidated. The tilt of the tip compared with the base is 2.32 m.


The city lies in the middle of the area which was inhabited by Transylvanian Saxons and in an area of 20 km around it there are dozens of fortified churches, two of them UNESCO World heritage sites.

Biertan fortified church

Biertan (German: Birthälm, Romani: Biyertan, Hungarian: Berethalom) is a commune in central Romania, in the north of the Sibiu County, 80 km north of Sibiu and 15 km east of Mediaş. It is one of the most important Saxon villages with fortified churches in Transylvania, having been on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1993. It was the seat of the Lutheran Evangelical Diocese in Transylvania between 1572 and 1867. It is one of the most visited villages in Transylvania, being the historically important place of the annual reunion of the Transylvanian Saxons, many of whom now live in Germany.


Biertan is one of the first German settlements in Transylvania placed between the two "Seats" (Mediaş and Şeica) in the Andreean Diploma from 1224. The first attestation of its name has been certified since 1283, in a document about the taxes demanded by the Catholic Capital from Alba Iulia to the Catholic priests from the Transylvanian Saxon communities. As any other Transylvanian Saxon Community, it had an urban organization, being noticed the franconic style of the rows of houses around the central square overlooked by a grandiose fortress-church.


This heavily fortified church sits on a hilltop in the center of Biertan village. The church was mentioned for the first time in 1402; most likely a Gothic basilica, it was completely demolished. The only remains of the original church are some stone vault ribs and a few bosses.


Today’s church is a hall-shaped church with a chief nave and two side-aisles. The four-bay church has a 5/8 apse and was built between 1500 and 1525, during the time of Priest “Baccalaureus Johannis”. The church has net-shaped brick-ribbed vaults over its entire ceiling.




Late-Gothic and Renaissance stone masonry is also preserved, including doorways, brackets, the pulpit, and other items. The wooden furniture, the doors, and the folding triptych date back to the beginning of the 16th century. Inside the church the late Gothic shrine, in the form of a triptych was realized in more stages between 1515-1524. The pews are made between 1514-1523 by Reychmut from Sighişoara and are ones of the most valuable pews of this kind from Transylvania. The Europa Nostra restoration from 1978 to 1991 revealed parts of the former paintings and inscriptions.



The pulpit was made in 1523 by the stone carver Ulrich, from Braşov. The painting on the wood of the pulpit is from 1754. The pulpit is impressive for the biblical scenes reproduction and for the adornment with architectural and vegetal motifs very carefully painted in the transition style from Gothic to Renaissance.


An organ existed in a church since 1523 (the organ player Bartholomaeus is mentioned); it was replaced in 1731, in 1785 (by Samuel Metz), then in 1869, when the Hessian Company in Vienna built a new organ with 1290 tubes, 2 manuals, pedals and 25 registers.



The artist Johannes Reichmuth from Sighişoara made in 1515 the special door of the vestry. The vestry has an intricate blocking system of the door which moved simultaneously 15 lockers. The room of the vestry shielded the treasure of the church and of the village when there was a siedge. In this room there can stil be seen tools of the Transylvanian crafters, paintings, jugs and bowls in Renaissance style.



On the southern part of the upper plateau, the "Catholic Tower" contains preserved fresco paintings from the mid-15th century. The two shielding walls, which partially lie on arches, are strengthened by many towers and a bastion. To reach the upper plateau of the fortress, one must pass four gate-towers. The outer wall, situated mostly at the base of the hill, is strengthened to the west and south by two fortified zwingers with gate towers.

Cârţa Monastery

Cârţa Monastery is a former Cistercian monastery in the Ţara Făgăraşului region in southern Transylvania in Romania, currently a Lutheran Evangelical church belonging to the local Saxon community. It lies on the left bank of the Olt River, between the cities of Sibiu and Făgăraş, close to the villages of Cârţa (German Kerz, Hungarian: Kerc) and Cârţişoara (German: Kleinkerz). The monastery was founded in 1205-1206 by King Andrew II of Hungary, and was disbanded 27 February 1474 by King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary. The Cistercian monastery introduced and helped develop Gothic art in the region.


The exact founding date of the Cârţa Monastery (Latin: monasterium beatae Mariae virginis in Candelis de Kerch) is unknown. A document from Konstanz, dated 17 April 1418, issued by Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor states vaguely that the monastery was founded, built, and awarded rights and privileges by his predecessors. The statute of royal establishment is also pointed out in the act disbanding the monastery 27 February 1474, and was made ex auctoritate juris patronatus regii Matthias Corvinus. Cistercian documents from the 13th till 15th century gathered and analyzed by Leopold Janauschek mention the founding year of the monastery as being somewhere around 1202-1203.


The best approximation of the monastery's date of foundation can be obtained from a document issued by the royal Hungarian chancelry in 1223. This document states that the territory on which the monastery was built - delimited by the Olt River at the north side and its tributaries the Arpaşu River at the east, the Cârţişoara River at the west and the Făgăraş Mountains at the south - was awarded by King Andrew II of Hungary, for the blessing of his soul, through the Transylvanian voivod Benedict (pro remedio animae nostre per fidelem ac dilectum nostrum Benedictum tunc temporis vaivodam assignari facientes). It is known that Benedict was Transylvanian voivod between 1202-1206 and 1208-1209. This means that the founding date must fall between 1202 and 1209. An additional document, the General Chapter of the Cistercian Order from 1206, further narrows the date of founding. This document mentions the presence of a Cistercian monk from Transylvania, most probably from Cârţa (abbas ultra Sylvas in Hungaria, filius abbatis de Egris), at the Citeaux Abbey, in Burgundy, the main abbey of the Cistercian order. Summing up this historical data, the date of the monastery's founding by the King Andrew II of Hungary can be established as occurring between 29 May 1205 and 14 September 1206. 29 May 1205 is when Andrew II became king of Hungary and 14 September 1206 is the day when the works of the Cistercian Order's General Chapter began, when the existence of the first monk of Cârţa is documented. The colonising convent was most probably the mother abbey in Igriş (Latin Egris, Hungarian Egres), in the Banat plain, today located in Timiş County, Romania. Filiation reports between the two monasteries can be dated from 1206, 1368 and 1430.


The first buildings of the monastery were built, according to Cistercian customs, using perishable materials, most probably wood. These can be dated relatively confidently as having been built in the founding period (1205-1206). A few years later, approximately 1210-1215, a stone chapel, the oratorium, was built close to the original wood buildings. The foundations of this chapel of small dimension (around 8-10 m) and massive walls, were rediscovered in the spring of 1927, by the Transylvanian Saxon art historian and archeologist Victor Roth. Also, subsequent researches were carried out in the period 1983-1985 to better study these remains. The construction of the main stone edifice started a little bit later, most probably between 1220 and 1230. The construction occurred in two stages, separated by the Great Mongol invasion of 1241. In the first stage of construction, the main elements are of Romanesque influence. The general plan was traced and the walls were erected up to aa height of about 3-4 m. In 1260 the works were restarted under a new architect trained in the mature Gothic architecture, and with the help of a new masons' workshop. During this period, the old stone oratorium was dismantled and on its foundations was built a part of the north wing of the transept and a part of the choir with the polygonal apse. At around 1300, the church and the east wing of the Cărţa Monastery were already finished and the works on the south side will continue for about two decades.