Unitarian Church in Chilieni

Like most villages near cities, the village of Chilieni, near Sfântu Gheorghe, is rapidly modernizing. 

However, in its heart, on a hill, still stands the old church, once patronized by Saint Kilian. It tells the story of the community's founding, the history of these lands, and provides the place with an authentic rural atmosphere.

Destroyed several times by earthquakes, it has been carefully rebuilt by healers who mend living beings. Pieces of walls have migrated and been rebuilt over the centuries, mural paintings have been covered and rediscovered, so that the church today looks like the world we live in: different but the same.

The church in Chilieni is the place where you can see how the metamorphosis of beliefs, stones, and frescoes occurred. Here you find battles painted alongside biblical scenes, discovering the faith and memory of this village, as well as its aspirations.

Because, above the door, you are greeted by the representation of paradise, as the villagers wished it: in the form of a rich and beautiful city, with the gate guarded by angels.

Story of the place

Comprising a nave dating back to the medieval period, a fully supplemented and widened apse with a polygonal closure, and a tower erected later, in the 19th century, the church rises on a hill, being visible from afar. It is one of the oldest and most important architectural edifices in the vicinity of the city of Sfântu Gheorghe, the predecessor of the current building, traces of which are still visible today, being attested as early as 1322.

The mural painting was executed in the early 15th century. During the Reformation, the church passed from the Roman Catholic cult to the Calvinist Reformed cult, and then in the last decades of the 16th century to the Unitarian cult. During this period, the frescoes were covered with lime, the sacristies were demolished, and the door leading to them was walled up, using even the stone-carved font, from the medieval period of the church, as filling material. Later, this was recovered and exhibited in the church.

Representation of the Legend of Saint Ladislaus

In addition to the beautiful fragments of carved stone, the church also preserves a wonderful fresco depicting the legend of Saint Ladislaus, with a unique detail in the series of Transylvanian mural paintings: the "heart offering" of the Cuman. Today, the superb fresco fragments are uncovered, restored, and can be admired.

In the upper register of the north and west walls, we can see the series of images taken from the legend of Saint Ladislaus. Unlike other iconographic representations, the scene of the Decapitation of the Cuman contains a unique detail, which sets it apart from all other frescoes painted in other Transylvanian churches. In this one, the defeated Cuman raises his heart to the girl he kidnapped, who is now ready to strike him with a sword. We can interpret this unusual gesture of the Cuman as a "heart offering" to Christianity, a powerful symbol in Catholic Christian iconography, says Jánó Mihály, a renowned art historian.

Unique Experiences

Sfântu Gheorghe city is renowned for its efforts in promoting quality contemporary culture, so it's no coincidence that theater performances in the repertoire of the Tamási Áron Theater (Hungarian-language theater) and the Andrei Mureșanu Theater are highly sought after by tourists. And if you want to enjoy the experience of listening to a classical music concert in a special setting, then you should visit the fortified Reformed Church in Sfântu Gheorghe on days when concerts are scheduled.