Comments on: Fortified Churches of Transylvania

By: Rachel Heller

Rachel Heller — Sat, 31 Aug 2019 10:10:32 +0000

In reply to John Barreiro. Thank you for this. That 360 panorama site has a good one of Darjiu! And your own photos are lovely! Yes, there are probably many more, but the UNESCO ones are in good shape and open to the public so they're the ones a casual tourist is most likely to visit.

By: John Barreiro

John Barreiro — Thu, 29 Aug 2019 23:09:57 +0000

My previous note was a second attempt. I lost some of the info I originally was sending to you. This site has 360° panoramas of Székerland ( https://virtualisszekelyfold.ro/home_en.php ) including is a page of churches ( https://virtualisszekelyfold.ro/explore_en.php ). Many are fortified.
“…It’ll make it much easier to visit them all.” That’s my goal. However I’ve only been to 4. ( https://pbase.com/larpman/biertan and https://pbase.com/larpman/favorite_day ) The fortified churches have become a major interest of mine. The map you mentioned does not have all of the fortified churches. Wikipedia lists 148, but states, “This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.” I have found others and will add them to Wikipedia.

By: Rachel Heller

Rachel Heller — Thu, 29 Aug 2019 13:19:13 +0000

In reply to John Barreiro. I'm so glad to hear that the murals at Darjiu have been restored! And also to find out that they've printed maps of the whole collection of churches. It'll make it much easier to visit them all. Thanks for the update!

By: John Barreiro

John Barreiro — Wed, 28 Aug 2019 20:32:54 +0000

I’ve been gathering info for a database I’ve created about the fortified churches of Romania.
You’ll find info on the restoration of the murals at Dârjiu https://eeagrants.org/archive/2009-2014/projects/RO12-0034
The church was originally Roman Catholic. Abandoned chuches were taken over by Unitarians. There are 75,000 Unitarians in Transylvania, the world’s largest group. One source said that the murals needed to be restored because the Unitarians had whitewash them. I assume that this was done in keeping with the Unitarians preference for simplicity in liturgy and decoration. Today, recognizing historical and artistic value, the Evangelical Church of Romania and the Unitarian Church of Transylvania are cooperating in restoration works.

By: budgettraveltalk

budgettraveltalk — Wed, 25 Oct 2017 11:57:46 +0000

Romania sounds like a great place.I’ve not heard of such a thing as fortified churches before Rachel!

By: Rachel Heller

Rachel Heller — Wed, 18 Oct 2017 18:17:15 +0000

In reply to Viktor Kaposi. Thank you!

By: Viktor Kaposi

Viktor Kaposi — Wed, 18 Oct 2017 18:14:09 +0000

Great article with lots of information and beautiful pictures!

By: Rachel Heller

Rachel Heller — Wed, 18 Oct 2017 17:14:53 +0000

In reply to alison abbott. Funny, isn't it, that a UNESCO-listed site could also be "off-the-beaten-path."

By: alison abbott

alison abbott — Mon, 09 Oct 2017 02:50:44 +0000

You’ve certainly made it easy for someone to follow in your footsteps and visit the fortified churches of Transylvania, although that first gate is more than a little intimidating! I especially liked the painted walls of Bunesti. I like off the beaten path destinations and this certainly looks like a charming area of Romania.

By: Rachel Heller

Rachel Heller — Sun, 08 Oct 2017 08:34:35 +0000

In reply to Ruth. Go for it! These churches are all different and interesting, and the countryside in the northern half of Romania is beautiful!