Biertan fortified church

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Biertan fortified church
The Biertan fortified church (Romanian: Biserica fortificat din Biertan; German:
Kirchenburg von Birthlm) is a Lutheran fortified church in Biertan (Birthlm), Sibi
u County, in the Transylvania region of Romania. It was built by the ethnic Germ
an Transylvanian Saxon community at a time when the area belonged to the Kingdom
of Hungary. Briefly Roman Catholic, it became Lutheran following the Reformatio
n. Together with the surrounding village, the church forms part of the villages
with fortified churches in Transylvania UNESCO World Heritage Site. Coordinates:
488'7N 2431'17E
Contents [hide]
1 Description
1.1 Background and church
1.2 Fortifications and recognition
2 Notes
Description[edit]
Background and church[edit]
Nave ceiling
Altar with polyptych
Biertan was founded by Transylvanian Saxons in the medieval Kingdom of Hungary.
It was allowed to organize a market, placing it in competition with Media? and M
o?na; it was also the see of the Saxon Lutheran Church from 1572 to 1867. This a
ccounts for the elaborate church and its defenses.[1]
A hall church with three naves that retains a design close to the original,[1][2
] it was the last such church built in Transylvania, and was constructed between
1486 and 1524[2] on the site of an earlier Romanesque church.[2][1] Dedicated t
o the Virgin Mary and built in Late Gothic style with Renaissance touches,[2][3]
[4] the structure was constrained by the hilly landscape. The choir is 18 m in l
ength, with a rib-vaulted ceiling, while the three naves of equal height also ha
ve rib vaulting. A defensive level above the choir has parapets and a battlement
.[2] A second, wooden, level was demolished in 1803.[1] The polyptych altarpiece
has 28 panels executed between 1482 and 1513 by a painter likely trained at Vie
nna and Nuremberg. In the center, there is a sculpted group: a crucifix with Jes
us Christ hanging, Mary standing and Mary Magdalene embracing the cross. The upp
er side panels show visions of Ezekiel and Augustus.[2] The stone pulpit, which
shows scenes carved in relief, dates to 1523. The richly decorated intarsia door
of the sacristy has a complex lock, displayed at the 1889 Paris World's Fair. I
ts central system blocks the door in thirteen points, ensuring the safety of the
valuables kept in the sacristy.[1]
Fortifications and recognition[edit]
The King granted the town the right to bear arms when the Ottoman army was frigh
tening the surroundings. The Transylvanian Saxons chose to build instead of fort
resses around the towns, to fortify the churches.[5] The church has three rows o
f exterior fortifications linked by gate towers,[2] nine in total.[1] The first,
with four towers, dates to the 14th century; the second was built together with
the church, and has a series of reinforcing arches; the third, also with towers
, is from the 16th and 17th centuries. The clock tower to the north of the churc
h also serves as a gate within the inner fortifications. Four stories high, it h
as a wooden battlement and parapets. The clock is above the pyramid-shaped roof.
The wooden bell tower is located north of the church, while the mausoleum tower
contains the headstones of the priest who built the church as well as the bisho
ps buried at Biertan.[2] The Catholic tower was used by the few Saxons who did n
ot adhere to the Reformation but kept their Roman Catholic faith. Its chapel (ca
. 15201530) features a rare example of 16th-century Transylvanian mural painting,
forming an exception to the austere aesthetic that predominated.[6] The grounds
contain a "matrimonial prison" where couples wishing to divorce were confined s
o they could be sure they wished to end their marriage.[1] The lockup lasted for
two weeks, although the pair could leave early if they reconciled. They had to
share a single bed, plate and spoon. During the three centuries that bishops res
ided at Biertan, just one couple ended up divorcing.[7]
The church was occupied and robbed in 1704, during Rkczi's War of Independence.[4]
It suffered damage during the 1977 Vrancea earthquake and subsequently underwen
t restoration work[3] between 1983 and 1989. Since 1990, Saxons come annually to
Biertan to celebrate their heritage.[4] In 1993, Biertan and its fortified chur
ch were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site; it was joined by six other places
in 1999 to form the villages with fortified churches in Transylvania site.[8][9
] Additionally, the church is listed as a historic monument by Romania's Ministr
y of Culture and Religious Affairs, with each of the three fortifications consid
ered a separate monument.[10] Biertan was the subject of two 2011 postage stamps
, a joint issue between Germany and Romania.[11]
The church and its three sets of walls

Similar view in winter

Fortification entrance

Side door to church

Sacristy lock

Headstones

Catholic tower frescoes

Clock tower

Bell tower

Village and gate tower

House for divorcing couples

Plan
Notes[edit]
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g (Romanian) Biertan/Birthlm at biserici-fortificate.or
g
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h (Romanian) Biertan/Birthaelm at biserici-fortifica
te.com
^ Jump up to: a b Alexandra Mure?an, "The Fortified Church of Biertan (Transylva
nia)", in Myra Shackley (ed.), Visitor Management: Case Studies from World Herit
age Sites, p.27. Elsevier, Amsterdam, 2000. ISBN 0-7506-3279-8
^ Jump up to: a b c (Romanian) Cetatea Biertan at the Sibiu County Cultural Affa
irs Office site
Jump up ^ "Villages with Fortified Churches in Transylvania". UNESCO. Retrieved
14 05 2014.
Jump up ^ Vasile Drgu?, Dic?ionar enciclopedic de art medieval romneasc, p.233. Editu
ra ?tiin?ific ?i Enciclopedic, Bucharest, 1976
Jump up ^ (Romanian) Ramona Gin, "Secretele bisericilor fortificate sse?ti din Sibi
u", Adevrul, September 9, 2013
Jump up ^ Villages with Fortified Churches in Transylvania at the UNESCO site
Jump up ^ "World Heritage Committee Inscribes 48 New Sites on Heritage List" at
the UNESCO site
Jump up ^ (Romanian) Lista Monumentelor Istorice 2010: Judeul Sibiu
Jump up ^ (Romanian) "Timbru po?tal despre biserica din localitatea sibian Bierta
n, lansat la Bra?ov", Adevrul, September 11, 2011
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Biserica fortificat din Biertan.
Categories: Lutheran churches in RomaniaLutheran cathedrals in RomaniaLutheran c
hurch buildings converted from Roman CatholicismFormer cathedrals16th-century Lu
theran church buildingsBuildings and structures completed in 1524Gothic architec
ture in RomaniaHall churchesHistoric monuments in Sibiu CountyFortified churches
in Romania
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Biertan fortified church
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Biertan fortified church
The Biertan fortified church (Romanian: Biserica fortificat din Biertan; German:
Kirchenburg von Birthlm) is a Lutheran fortified church in Biertan (Birthlm), Sibi
u County, in the Transylvania region of Romania. It was built by the ethnic Germ
an Transylvanian Saxon community at a time when the area belonged to the Kingdom
of Hungary. Briefly Roman Catholic, it became Lutheran following the Reformatio
n. Together with the surrounding village, the church forms part of the villages
with fortified churches in Transylvania UNESCO World Heritage Site. Coordinates:
488'7N 2431'17E
Contents [hide]
1 Description
1.1 Background and church
1.2 Fortifications and recognition
2 Notes
Description[edit]
Background and church[edit]
Nave ceiling
Altar with polyptych
Biertan was founded by Transylvanian Saxons in the medieval Kingdom of Hungary.
It was allowed to organize a market, placing it in competition with Media? and M
o?na; it was also the see of the Saxon Lutheran Church from 1572 to 1867. This a
ccounts for the elaborate church and its defenses.[1]
A hall church with three naves that retains a design close to the original,[1][2
] it was the last such church built in Transylvania, and was constructed between
1486 and 1524[2] on the site of an earlier Romanesque church.[2][1] Dedicated t
o the Virgin Mary and built in Late Gothic style with Renaissance touches,[2][3]
[4] the structure was constrained by the hilly landscape. The choir is 18 m in l
ength, with a rib-vaulted ceiling, while the three naves of equal height also ha
ve rib vaulting. A defensive level above the choir has parapets and a battlement
.[2] A second, wooden, level was demolished in 1803.[1] The polyptych altarpiece
has 28 panels executed between 1482 and 1513 by a painter likely trained at Vie
nna and Nuremberg. In the center, there is a sculpted group: a crucifix with Jes
us Christ hanging, Mary standing and Mary Magdalene embracing the cross. The upp
er side panels show visions of Ezekiel and Augustus.[2] The stone pulpit, which
shows scenes carved in relief, dates to 1523. The richly decorated intarsia door
of the sacristy has a complex lock, displayed at the 1889 Paris World's Fair. I
ts central system blocks the door in thirteen points, ensuring the safety of the
valuables kept in the sacristy.[1]
Fortifications and recognition[edit]
The King granted the town the right to bear arms when the Ottoman army was frigh
tening the surroundings. The Transylvanian Saxons chose to build instead of fort
resses around the towns, to fortify the churches.[5] The church has three rows o
f exterior fortifications linked by gate towers,[2] nine in total.[1] The first,
with four towers, dates to the 14th century; the second was built together with
the church, and has a series of reinforcing arches; the third, also with towers
, is from the 16th and 17th centuries. The clock tower to the north of the churc
h also serves as a gate within the inner fortifications. Four stories high, it h
as a wooden battlement and parapets. The clock is above the pyramid-shaped roof.
The wooden bell tower is located north of the church, while the mausoleum tower
contains the headstones of the priest who built the church as well as the bisho
ps buried at Biertan.[2] The Catholic tower was used by the few Saxons who did n
ot adhere to the Reformation but kept their Roman Catholic faith. Its chapel (ca
. 15201530) features a rare example of 16th-century Transylvanian mural painting,
forming an exception to the austere aesthetic that predominated.[6] The grounds
contain a "matrimonial prison" where couples wishing to divorce were confined s
o they could be sure they wished to end their marriage.[1] The lockup lasted for
two weeks, although the pair could leave early if they reconciled. They had to
share a single bed, plate and spoon. During the three centuries that bishops res
ided at Biertan, just one couple ended up divorcing.[7]
The church was occupied and robbed in 1704, during Rkczi's War of Independence.[4]
It suffered damage during the 1977 Vrancea earthquake and subsequently underwen
t restoration work[3] between 1983 and 1989. Since 1990, Saxons come annually to
Biertan to celebrate their heritage.[4] In 1993, Biertan and its fortified chur
ch were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site; it was joined by six other places
in 1999 to form the villages with fortified churches in Transylvania site.[8][9
] Additionally, the church is listed as a historic monument by Romania's Ministr
y of Culture and Religious Affairs, with each of the three fortifications consid
ered a separate monument.[10] Biertan was the subject of two 2011 postage stamps
, a joint issue between Germany and Romania.[11]
The church and its three sets of walls

Similar view in winter

Fortification entrance

Side door to church

Sacristy lock

Headstones

Catholic tower frescoes

Clock tower

Bell tower

Village and gate tower

House for divorcing couples

Plan
Notes[edit]
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g (Romanian) Biertan/Birthlm at biserici-fortificate.or
g
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h (Romanian) Biertan/Birthaelm at biserici-fortifica
te.com
^ Jump up to: a b Alexandra Mure?an, "The Fortified Church of Biertan (Transylva
nia)", in Myra Shackley (ed.), Visitor Management: Case Studies from World Herit
age Sites, p.27. Elsevier, Amsterdam, 2000. ISBN 0-7506-3279-8
^ Jump up to: a b c (Romanian) Cetatea Biertan at the Sibiu County Cultural Affa
irs Office site
Jump up ^ "Villages with Fortified Churches in Transylvania". UNESCO. Retrieved
14 05 2014.
Jump up ^ Vasile Drgu?, Dic?ionar enciclopedic de art medieval romneasc, p.233. Editu
ra ?tiin?ific ?i Enciclopedic, Bucharest, 1976
Jump up ^ (Romanian) Ramona Gin, "Secretele bisericilor fortificate sse?ti din Sibi
u", Adevrul, September 9, 2013
Jump up ^ Villages with Fortified Churches in Transylvania at the UNESCO site
Jump up ^ "World Heritage Committee Inscribes 48 New Sites on Heritage List" at
the UNESCO site
Jump up ^ (Romanian) Lista Monumentelor Istorice 2010: Judeul Sibiu
Jump up ^ (Romanian) "Timbru po?tal despre biserica din localitatea sibian Bierta
n, lansat la Bra?ov", Adevrul, September 11, 2011
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Biserica fortificat din Biertan.
Categories: Lutheran churches in RomaniaLutheran cathedrals in RomaniaLutheran c
hurch buildings converted from Roman CatholicismFormer cathedrals16th-century Lu
theran church buildingsBuildings and structures completed in 1524Gothic architec
ture in RomaniaHall churchesHistoric monuments in Sibiu CountyFortified churches
in Romania
Navigation menu
Create accountLog inArticleTalkReadEditView history
Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikimedia Shop
Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page
Tools
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Data item
Cite this page
Print/export
Create a book
Download as PDF
Printable version
Languages
Romn
Edit links
This page was last modified on 25 May 2014 at 14:24.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; add
itional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and P
rivacy Policy. Wikipedia is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, I
nc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policyAbout WikipediaDisclaimersContact WikipediaDevelopersMobile viewWi
kimedia Foundation Powered by MediaWiki