Fortified Church Fişer

Bărcut / Bekokten In the place of the demolished medieval church, two masters of Merghindeal built a hall church covered by suspended domes in the 19th century. The bell tower with parapet walk and stairways to the upper levels built in the thickness of the walls originates from the 15th century. It was easy for a single man to block the stairways which are only 60 to 70cm wide. The remaining fragments of the ring wall bear traces of two medieval defence towers and also boast the holes of the former beams supporting the parapet walk. Place and surroundings “Transylvania, proud country with powers and wealth, surrounded by the Carpathians, coated with greenery, land of gold and vineyards” – these lyrics belong to the hymn of the Transylvanian Saxons. Yet, along the history of the village, music was not always the accompaniment; sometimes the sound of weapons was heard. The Tatar attacks caused the construction of the fortified tower, a 36m high building, with 3m thick walls. Time has woven many legends around this guardian. It is said that a generous giant helped at the raising of the tower, but after the building was finished, the fearful villagers thrown him in a fountain that can still be seen in the church. The name of the village itself is connected, as the story goes, to a spring whose name comes from the Hungarian word “Baranykur”, which means “The Lamb’s Fountain”. During a severe drought, a lamb is said to have rescued the village by discovering a spring that still exists today. The crystal clear water of this spring has quenched the thirst of the villagers for centuries and it will certainly quench the thirst of the traveler nowadays. Keys are with: Mrs. Cornelia Tache phone: +40/721/130 540 Opening times: during summer 10:00-13:00h and 15:00-18:00h during winter only on demand Accomodation: Guestrooms in the Youth Center Bărcut 100 beds Mr. Johannes Klein, phone: +40/268/211994 or Mrs. Irmgard Oprea phone: +40/372/748471 Hotel: Youth Center parish house (40 beds); former school (45 beds) The canteen can host up up to 250 people 2 seminar rooms Children's ropeway and climbing net in the parish garden Audio hiking trail between Selistat and Barcut (audio files at http://audiowanderweg.seligstadt.ro) Information and booking: Fagaras parish office phone: (0040-268) 211994 e-mail: johannes.klein@theol.unibe.ch or on site: Cornelia Tache phone: (0040-721) 130540 Internet: www.kinderuni.ro or www.kinderspielstadt.ro

Țigmandru / Zuckmantel The old church of the Țigmandru, situated on the noble soil of the region between the Târnava Mare and the Târnava Mică rivers, was demolished in 1851. In the years 1865 to 1870 the new church – hall church with west tower and choir in semicircular apse – was built. The church has a wooden altar, in the center of which there is a painting made by Carl Dörschlag in 1869. It shows Jesus in Gethsemane with an angel. The organ with twelve stops, built in 1865 by Samuel Binder, also dates from that time. In the church there is a stone baptismal font. Among the bells of Țigmandru, the medium-sized one is of particular importance: it dates from pre-Reformation times and bears the Latin inscription “O rex glorie veni cum pace”. The other two bells are from more recent times. In the mid-1960s, the parish of Maieruș became a daughter parish of Țigmandru. In the 1990s, the church was renovated and finally re-inaugurated in 2002. Keys are with: Mr. Ovidiu Sinedru Tel.: +40/758/523 555

Bazna / Baaßen Above the previous Romanesque construction, a Gothic hall church with polygonal chancel was erected in the first half of the 15th century. No tower was added to the church, but the hall was heightened by half its size and covered with a lierne vault. Above the chancel that boasts its groin vault, three massive defence levels and a timber frame parapet walk were built. In the 15th and 16th century the church was protected by a wall and several defensive towers, of which only the southern tower, serving both as a gate and a bell tower still exists. Later the town hall was even located here. The defensive systems of the chancel were dismantled in the 19th century and replaced by a high-hipped roof. On the western facade the probably Romanesque painted portal was exposed. The organ, the pulpit and the altar were set up in the second half of the 18th century and the pews and the tabernacle are Gothic. The sedilia with round arches originate from the Romanesque construction phase. Place and surroundings “The miracle of the fiery water”, “The field of salt” or the “Strange crater” are just a few of the places worth seeing in Bazna. It is said that, long ago, a group of shepherds who were resting near a lake close to the village decided to withstand the freezing cold of the night by making a fire. But as the first spark of the shy fire shed its light on the tired faces of the men, the looks changed into perplexity and terror: a spark touched the water surface, and instead of drowning and dying it increased and spread out and, within a few seconds, the red water of the lake was caught up in waves of fire. This happening caused so much rumour that even the count Valentin Frank von Frankenstein presents it in his lyrical writings. Years later, the phenomenon could, of course, be scientifically explained: salty water contains inflammable gasses, which have made Bazna famous in our times. The bathing places with their physiotherapeutic springs, the natural environment, the fortified church, the park – all of them offer both peace and adventure, relaxation and activity, to suit the taste of each visitor. Keys are with: Mr. Ioo Eugen phone: +40/742/319 267 Tourist Information Bazna: Opening times: Monday – Friday 09.00–17.00h Avram Iancu Street e-mail: info_bazna@sibiu-turism.ro Accomodation: Accomodation is possible in the former evangelic parish house  9 beds in 5 bedrooms, including a kitchen, store room, 2 bathrooms with shower and WC Mr. Ioo Eugen phone: +40/742/319 267 address: Bazna, house nr. 465

Țapu / Abtsdorf bei Mediasch On a hill of the Zekesh highlands stands the church of Țapu. The oval curtain wall, but also the river stone masonry speak for an edification before the time of firearms. According to the Gothic sculpture, the church was built around 1400. The ring wall, which is still over six meters high, bears traces of a two-story battlement. On the inside, you can see embrasures and holes for the beams that supported the battlement. In 1625, the Gothic windows of the hall were removed and possibly the tower was taken down. That a tower stood here can be seen from the thickness of the walls that close the rectangular space between the choir and the hall. The second reconstruction took place in 1838: a porch on the north side – in front of the present entrance – was built, the west portal was walled up and an unadorned south portal was created. In the Middle Ages a chapel was attached to the southern castle wall, which was demolished in 1852; its stones were used to build a new school. The simply furnished church reflects the once weak economic conditions of the village. The simple Baroque altar was added in 1712. Keys are with: Mr Cristian Biemel phone: +40/768/080 713

Zlagna / Schlatt Nothing is known about the construction of the small Gothic church in Zlagna. However, the stone masonry, the polygonal choir screen, the round-arched windows in the church hall and the round openings in the western façade suggest that it was built in the 15th century. There are no inscriptions on the walls and the parish archive does not provide any clues to the building’s history. Later galleries were added on three sides and in 1793 the church was given a coffered ceiling. Two meters southeast of the church there is a bell tower, which received its present form between 1828 and 1830. The central image of the simple altar from 1670 depicts Jesus in Gethsemane, at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. The altar is flanked by two columns, crowned by two angelic figures. The baptismal font (stolen at Easter 1997) and the pulpit have no particular artistic value, but reflect the weak economic conditions of the village, which served various lords until the abolition of the feudal system. Keys are with: Mrs. Valerie Russu phone: +40/758/934 193

Motiș / Mortesdorf The Gothic hall church was built in the 14th century. Today the hall has a flat roof and the choir has preserved a Gothic vault with a groin vault. The ogival triumphal arch is non-profiled. In the 15th century, the church was rebuilt with a polygonal wall and reinforced by pre-built towers, three of which have survived. In the east tower the year 1648 can be read. Between 1832 and 1835, a fortification tower was converted into a bell tower by adding storeys. Parts of the circular wall were demolished in 1875 in favour of the school building. The preserved ring wall still reaches a height of three to four metres inside the castle courtyard. Compared to the neighbouring fortified churches in Valea Viilor or Moșna, the one in Motiș is modest. Inside the church, in the second half of the 19th century, a gallery was installed on three sides of the church hall. A second gallery was erected on the north side. Before that, the hall was extended to the west in the first half of the 17th century. A sacramental niche has been preserved in the choir. The nave and choir have separate roof trusses. The flat saddle roof of the church has a beautiful pointed gable in the west, which boasts the year 1718. Keys are with: Mrs. Nina Laza phone: +40/743/416 090 or +40/746/085 643

Marpod / Marpod Like most churches in the Hârtibaciu Valley, the parish church of Marpod has its origin in a three-nave basilica. From this first church a Romanesque capitila has been preserved, which today is built into the first southern pillar of the church. In 1494 and 1504, Marpod received support from the treasury of the Sibiu District of the Seven Chairs for construction works on the tower. From this period, parts of the side walls of the church hall and remains of the church castle are preserved. Between 1785 and 1798, the church of Marpod got its present appearance. The church is surrounded by a quadrangular fortified wall, in the corners of which four towers originally stood. The towers in the northeast and southeast are still preserved. The old town hall was added to the southern wall. The three-part altar contains a significant central image, painted by Hans Hermann from Sibiu in 1926, flanked by two statues of Apostles. The organ with Baroque prospect was built in 1762 by Johannes Hahn, repaired in 1817 by Samuel Maetz and restored in 1985. Keys are with: Wilhelm Schneider phone: +40/269/250 465 or +40/742/459 805 Visitors are kindly asked to announce their visit well in advance

Iacobeni / Jakobsdorf bei Agnetheln In the 14th century, the Gothic hall church dedicated to St. James was built. At the end of the 15th century, a late Gothic net vault was added to the hall. The extension to a fortified church took place around 1500, when the massive tower with a wooden battlement corridor was added to the west. Above the sacristy, the church has another five-story fortified tower. Above the church there is a cantilevered fortified level resting on 15 arches. In the 1990s, the church of Iacobeni was temporarily given to another religious community for use. During this time, construction measures were carried out, especially in the interior, which did not comply with the preservation order. From the original inventory, however, among other things an epitaph of the pastor Michael Schullerus (1748) and the paneling of the galleries with paintings from the 18th century are still preserved. Keys are with: Mr. Achim Vintea phone: +40/746/707 799 or +40/741/928 545

Apoș / Abtsdorf bei Agnetheln The hall church with polygonal choir was protected by a curtain wall in the Middle Ages. Still in the 16th century, further fortification works were carried out. Sustainable reconstructions took place in the 18th century: for example, the church received a tiled roof and new windows for the first time. Finally, in 1799, the separately standing bell tower was built under the direction of the master builder Michael Salzer from Biertan. The last remains of the medieval curtain wall were removed in 1913 in order to start the construction of the school building. The neo-Gothic altar, the baptismal font and the organ are 19th century works. Today, the “Villa Abbatis” equestrian center, located in the former parsonage, takes care of the preservation of the church. Keys are with: Villa Abbatis Mr. Mihai Barbu phone: +40/724/736 025