The ensemble of the Sard Reformed Church

The settlement appears mentioned for the first time in a document from the year 1238, as a simple villa. At first, a Romanesque church with three naves and a semicircular apse was built in this place, at the end of the 13th century.

The church in Şard was built in the style of a Roman basilica, having three naves and a semicircular apse, the date of completion being the end of the 13th century. At the beginning of the 15th century, a polygonal Gothic choir, supported by buttresses, a portal on the north side and Gothic window frames were added. In the late 15th century, the church was fortified with enclosure walls and a gate tower, and further significant transformations took place later in the 17th and 18th centuries.

A distinctive aspect is represented by a frame built into the southern wall, on which the year 1690 is engraved. The church is surrounded by a fortification with an irregular circular shape, made of raw river stone, with a diameter between 56 and 60 meters.

The height of the enclosure reaches 6-7 meters, and the wall has a thickness of 1.10 meters. A dilapidated gate tower stands on the north side. The tower now retains the old stone gutter outside, on which a harrow used to slide to close the gate.

The bell tower, built in the 18th century, has four levels and was built of brick, while the foundation was made of river and quarry stone.

In Şard there is still the monumental house of the Esterházy family, which changed many owners, underwent transformations during communism and returned to the owners after 1989. The house is typical of Transylvanian late renaissance architecture of the 17th century. Starting from the inscription "Here ate the bitter bread of exile Toldalagi Maria, 1724" there is a legend that she was exiled here. It is said that on full moon nights the ghost of Mary haunts the courtyard of the mansion dressed in a white dress.

But about ghosts, legends and a church built long ago, you can only find out if you go there.

Sard is located just a few kilometers away from the well-known city of Alba Iulia. Here, visitors have the opportunity to discover the history of the place that spans two millennia, the most famous complexes being: the Roman fort, the medieval fortress and the Alba Carolina Fortress. Today, Alba Iulia is considered one of the most attractive cities for tourists from Romania and abroad.