Unitarian Church in Chichiș

For a long time, the construction date of the Unitarian church in Chichiș, Covasna County, remained a mystery. It was only after a fire devastated it in 1954 that under the water-worn plaster, mural paintings emerged, telling its story, the events it went through, and how old it is. It appeared around the end of the 13th century, and since then, it has undergone so many destructions and reconstructions that this beautiful white church seems like a Phoenix bird, reborn each time from its own ruins.

A miracle is the fact that survived on its walls is a fresco with scenes from the legend of Ladislaus, depicting the Citadel scene and the Exodus scene, showing Saint Ladislaus alongside his soldiers.

If you get here, you can enter the church from the south. You will be surprised by the door, which looks like a medieval window. Tradition says that this door frame, with an unusual lock, could be the work of a soldier returning from Turkish captivity, but it could also be inspired by the specific architecture of Wallachia.

Neither time nor dangers have destroyed the spirit of the community, and today you will find a splendid church and hospitable people.

The Story of the place

Chichiș is located at the mouth of the Black River into the Olt River. The first Unitarian church in the area, which underwent several reconstructions over time, was initially consecrated as a Roman Catholic church.

In 1568, following the Edict of Torda, most of Transylvania became Protestant. Together with their pastor, the inhabitants of Chichiș embraced the new reforming ideas of Ferenc Dávid. Thus, the old and narrow church at that time was enlarged, the sanctuary was demolished and extended to the east, parallel to the width of the original nave. A part of the sanctuary was incorporated, from which the sacristy and the three small blind windows under the cross can still be seen. According to oral tradition, the church was built by the Saxons from Prejmer.

Representation of the Legend of Saint Ladislaus

The most valuable decorative art element of the building is a mural composition depicting a scene from the legend of Saint Ladislaus.

The mural paintings were mentioned in one of the records of the Reformed parish in 1884, during the rehabilitation carried out then, and then emerged after the great fire of 1954. In the 16th and 18th centuries, as in other regions of the country, medieval mural paintings were whitewashed or plastered in Protestant churches in Szeklerland. Based on the fresco fragments, researchers concluded that we are undoubtedly dealing with two scenes from the Legend of St. Ladislaus, namely the Citadel scene and the Exodus scene.

Unique Experiences

You can continue your wanderings through the Chichiș Nature Park, the largest sports park in the country, with a mini-zoo, and you can have a meal at one of the restaurants in the area, serving tasty traditional food in huge portions, and at the end, you will surely say that you had an excellent trip!