One of the most majestic and valuable fortified churches in Transylvania. In 1995, the fortified church of Biertan was included in the list of the world architectural patrimony under UNESCO patronage.
Offert type: Trip
Transport means: Car, mini van or bus
Description
Biertan locality lays in the middle of the Transylvanian plateau , in the North of the Sibiu county,at equal distance between the cities Medias and Sighisoara.
Biertan is documentary testified for the first time in 1283,along with other 7 villages, inhabited in that period by the Saxons of Transylvania,in a document about the taxes demanded to the Catholic priests from the Transylvanian - Saxon communities by the Catholic Capital from Alba Iulia. Built on a hill, situated in the center of the locality, the church dominates, through its silhouette, the walls, the streets and the houses of the village. The church constructed in the late Gothic style, was built between 1492-1516. For a few hundred years, the citadel of Biertan was the residence of the Lutheran bishops. It was surrounded by three fortified walls, each one equipped with a gate tower, which access to the church plateau. In the interior of the church, the visitor can admire, among other things, the stone pulpit, the altar adorned with wooden sculptures (1515-1516) and the splendid crucifix attributed to the famous painter and sculptor of the Middle Age, the impressive ceiling decorated with Gothic nervures and the extremely rich ironmongery that adorn the gates. Also worth mentioning is the extraordinary iron lock with 22 bolts at the sacristy door put into motion when the key is turned only once. Equipped with an ingenious and complicated secret locking and unlocking system, this bolt was manufactured by the Biertan artisans, being considerate a miracle of medieval technique. Being displayed in the Paris Universal Exhibition, in 1937, the sacristy door of the Biertan Church was awarded a prize.
Short History
The eclesiastic and defence complex was built in 15th-16th centuries in the late Gothic style,with specific Renaissance elements.
For 300 years Biertan was chosen as the residence of the Evangelic Diocese (1572-1867). The main edifice of the ensemble is a hall-church with three naves, with arches disposed in a network, built between 1492 - 1516 on the place of another old church, in the late Gothic style, with elements from the Renaissance arhitecture at some portals. 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 Sighisoara and are ones of the most valuable pews of this kind from Transylvania. Unique in its way the door of the vestry built in 1515, is remarkable for its blocking system. As a result of the earthquake in 1977, restoration and consolidation works of the arches were done. The Donarium from Biertan
It was discovered in 1775 deep down at the root of a tree from Chimdru woods,located at 5 Km South from Biertan. It was part of the private collection of antiquities of the baron Samuel Brukenthal from Avrig, now displayed at the Brukenthal Museum. It is made of a board covered in bronze (32,5 cm x 12,6 cm) with the inscription EGO ZENOVIUS VOTUM POSVI (I Zenovius offered this gift) and a disc of bronze with the diameter of 23,7 cm, with an interior monogram of Jesus Christ (H+P). The scientists dated it in the 4th century (A.D.), representing an evidence of the existence in this area, after the Aurelian retreat (271 A.D.), of a Christian population which was speaking Latin.
The church itself. The main edifice of the ensemble is a hall-church with three naves, with arches disposed in a network, built between 1492 and 1516 on the place of another old church. The church is built in the late Gothic style with elements of Renaissance architecture at some portals. The church is the last edifice of this kind (the hall-church) built in Transylvania. As a result of the fortification work started after in the year 1515, and above the chancel there was built a fortified storey endowed with firing windows. The shrine of the church. The shrine is built in the late Gothic style, carved in wood, by Johannes Reichmuth from Sighisoara and it has 24 painted icons representing biblical scenes. These icons were made in the period 1483-1515. The main part is formed by a crucifix representing Mary, Jesus and Mary Magdalena who embraces the cross On two other elements, which are on the sides of the main painting, there are represented visions of Ezekiel and of king Augustin.
The pulpit. The one who realized the pulpit was a stone cutter Ulrich, from Brasov,which arrived in 1523 in Biertan. 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 arhitectural and vegetal motifs very carefully painted in the transition style from Gothic to Renaissance. The organ. 1523 The organ player Bartholomaeus is mentioned. 1731 A new organ is built, which is sold in 1794. In 1795, the farmer Samuel Maetz from Biertan builds a new organ with 22 registers. In 1869, the Hessian Company(Vienna) builts a new organ with 1290 tubes, 2 manuals,pedals and 25 registers. The vestry. The same artist who realized the pulpit of the church, Johannes Reichmuth from Sighisoara is also the contriver of the special door of the vestry. (1515) 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.
The clock tower. This tower is in the North-Eastern part of the church, besides the function attributed by its name, it is also a tower of the gate for the first inner wall.
This tower is endowed with an wooden passage and firing windows, and above the pyramid - shaped roof there is the clock itself.
The bell tower. In the Northern part of the church there is the tower with a wooden bell. In the first part of the 19th century, this tower was consolidated by the carpenter Hoeck. The Mausoleum tower. In this tower, in 1913 there were brought the tombstones of many priests like: Johannes (†1520) , Franz Salicaeus (†1567) , the bishops Lukas Unglerus (†1600), Mathias Schiffbaumer (†1611), Franz Graffius (†1627), Georg Theilesius (†1646), Christian Haas (†1686). In front of the tower there can be found the tombstones of the bishops D. Graeser (†1833) and G.P Binder (†1867). The prison tower (the bastion). This tower had also a more...... strange usage: in the small room of the tower equiped with only a bed, a table a plate and only one set of utensils, the pairs which wanted, for different reasons, to separate were imprisioned.
The Catholic tower. This tower is placed in the Southern part of the church. The theme of the icons on the walls is mainly connected with the Doom Day. This tower of the Catholics had represented for a long time a symbol of the religious tolerance in a country often faced with ethnic and confessional conflicts. When the most part of the population from Biertan became Protestants, there was built for those who remained faithful to the old religion another church. Since 1564 Transylvania was the only European country with four confessions revealing a certain level of religious frredom. Along with the Calvinists, Lutherans, Roman - Catholics and "Antitrinitars"(The oponents of the Trinity dogma) Orthodoxy was also tolerated.
The Townhall Tower. This tower is placed in the Western side of the church. It was also a tower-gate for the cart track that entered the church making the connection between the inner and the middle walls of the church's precints. Some adornments from the 16th century can still be seen on the console beam of the roof.
The towers of the gate. In the Southern part of the church the cart track goes under two gate-towers:one corresponding to the third wall and the other corresponding to the second wall of precincts. The inner tower was also called The Tower of the Bacon, because on siedge times it was an important storehouse for food.
The Weavers' Bastion. This bastion is placed in the West side of the church, on the exterior wall of the precints. Presently this tower has been converted into a painting studio of a painter from Biertan.
The walls of the church. The ensemble of the fortified church from Biertan is made up of three concentric walls, the inner ones being circular. This walls were connected by tower - gates. Thus the second and the third walls are connected by the Townhall Tower. Between this tower and the first tower of the gate (found on the second wall of the precincts)there is a cart track,that could be blocked at any time by a vertical gate. Access ways to the church. Besides the way which makes the connection between the exterior and the interior of the church there is also the Northern access, made by using covered stairs that link the ex- headquarters and the bell tower.
|
