The Roman Catholic Church of Saint Mary from Baia Sprie

The imposing Roman Catholic church that dominates the central square, dedicated to Saint Mary, was built between 1847-1858 on the site of the former church mentioned in administrative documents since 1333.

On one side and on the other of the entrance to the church, four stone statues are placed: in front, those of Saint Ladislaus and Saint King Stephen, and on the frontispiece those of Saints Peter and Paul.

Mining, as the lifestyle of the believers and their main form of living, is reflected in many details of the works of art that decorate this church. The Christian Minier Hymn, sung for the first time here on August 15, 1938, was created by the canonical scholar Dr. Lajos Czumbel when he served in this parish. It was the first hymn of its kind that still resounds in area churches every feast day. The people whom this place has served over time as an intermediary to the holy things, had one of the most difficult and risky jobs in the world.

You will certainly be surprised by the grandeur of the church!

Architectural features

The current building was built in neo-Gothic style with neo-Romanesque elements, based on the plans of the priest Albin Tischler.

The facade of the building, with its two remarkable towers, faces west. In front of the main entrance the monumental portico with a tympanum stands out, supported on columns in the Ionic style. The main altar is semicircular, and the nave of the church is extended on the north-south axis with two apses with secondary altars.

The large columns, encased in red marble, give a sense of sumptuousness. On the vaults of the ceiling we find six wonderful frescoes, containing a sequence of scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary.

Most likely, the frescoes were made in 1857 by Carl Rahl, who was at that time a professor at the Vienna Academy of Art, and Károly Lotz, one of the most famous mural painters of the 19th century.

Part of the side altar paintings were done in 1859 by Franz Geiling. And another part was made in 1865 by Carl Schellein. Particularly expressive is the work that adorns one of the secondary altars, called the Mother of God with miners. It is a representation of a local legend according to which the Mother of God with Jesus in her arms appeared to the two miners who were having a dispute about faith.

The story of the place

Once upon a time, the church belonged to one of the oldest independent religious communities. Included in the Register from 1333 as one of the oldest churches with a parish priest, it was supported by the so-called Urbura - the tax that had to be paid for the extraction of ore. This tax was donated to the church by John Hunyadi.

Most of the inhabitants here were miners and were drawn here by the rich gold and silver deposits of the mountains in the area. In 1800, 46 mining companies were operating in Baia Sprie and there were 344 private mines, many of which were named after saints. In the church you will be able to find on display two miners' flags, dating from 1886 and 1889, as well as the flag of the potters' guild, dating from 1852.

Representation of the Legend of Saint Ladislaus

Between the 17th and 19th centuries, on the altars in the Roman Catholic churches, to the right and to the left of the Virgin Mary, Saint Ladislaus and Saint King Stephen are placed as a representation of the "Regnum Marianum" meaning "Dominion Maria". The church in Baia Sprie is unique, in this case, by positioning the statues of the two saints in front of the church on high pedestals. Among them is the church of the Virgin Mary.

In the panoply of saints, Saint Ladislaus is an embodiment of the image of the fighter, the knight, a symbol of patriotism and fighting in the name of Christianity. The statue in front of the church captures this pathos, depicting him in chain mail, holding a hatchet in his right hand and sword in his left.

Unique experiences

In Baia Sprie is the house where one of the most prominent representatives of the Baima painting school, Aurel Popp, painted between 1932 and 1960. He is the messenger of deeply realistic and humanistic art, painting aspects of the hard work and life of miners.

You shouldn't miss the annual Retro Miner's Day event or explore the surroundings by hiking to the Blue Lake just 2-3 km from the church or the Crack of Dawn cave. Arriving in the area, take an interest in Burebista Head, Basalt Columns from Limpedea or Tăul Minei Lake.