Witness to hundreds of years of history, the ruins of the Martinuzzi Castle contain within their walls countless stories and legends that incite curiosity and make you want to know more. You can discover them in Alba county, surrounded by a smooth and soft landscape, on the edge of Vințu de Jos, just a few kilometers from the cities of Sebeș and Alba Iulia.
The castle whose ruins we see today was built on the site of a Dominican monastery, by cardinal Martinuzzi György, an important political figure, who was at that time governor of Transylvania, bishop of Oradea and cardinal of Esztergom. The building was one of the most representative edifices of the Transylvanian Renaissance, and the most famous and skilled builders of those times participated in its construction. György Martinuzzi was assassinated, and in the decades following his death the castle had numerous high-ranking owners: cardinals, princes, bishops. During the communist period the castle was nationalized and was used for storage and various other improper purposes, which damaged it irreparably. Nowadays it is again in the property of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Alba Iulia.
Numerous legends and stories have arisen based on fragments of facts from the castle's history, and many of them relate to the tragic fate that many of its owners or residents had. The reality is that the history of these places is fascinating and well worth a visit and a careful foray into not only who we are, but who we once were.
Brief historical foray
The village of Vințu de Jos has been inhabited by Saxons since 1248, and the community here grew and prospered, reaching remarkable prosperity. This prosperity allowed the Saxons to request and receive unique privileges at the time from the Hungarian kings, who were the masters of Transylvania. Among them was the right to build a monastery, which was to be served by Dominican monks. They lived an extremely modest life and were actively involved in spreading the Gospel within the Roman Catholic Church.
The construction of the monastery began after 1300, being financed by donations from the inhabitants and by a significant donation made by a rich woman, Elisabeta, the widow of the Herbord count. Following the incursions of the Turks between 1438 and 1442, which severely damaged the monastery, the Saxons became a minority in the area and gradually converted to Protestantism. In the middle of the 16th century, the Catholic monasteries in Transylvania began to be abolished and the monks were forced to leave the principality.
Death of the Cardinal and Legend of the Fishermen
Cardinal Martinuzzi György was a skilled diplomat, and during his governorship he was the most important lord of Transylvania. A legend says that in the year 1543 some fishermen would have accidentally found a part of Decebal's Dacian treasure. More than 40,000 yellowfins are said to have been found by the fishermen when they entered the Mureș River coming from Strei River with the rowboats. Martinuzzi allegedly thwarted the fishermen's intention to move the treasure to Moldova and confiscated their discovery. However, the legend claims that a curse was hovering over the treasure, which fell on the cardinal, a curse that ultimately led to his assassination, just as he in his turn assassinated the poor fishermen. It is more likely, however, that Cardinal Martinuzzi's political influence attracted the envy of his contemporaries, and thus he ended up being accused before King Ferdinand I of Habsburg of treason, being then killed by paid assassins, right in the castle.
Unique experiences
Any trip to the area must also include a visit to another castle, located just across the road from the ruins of the Martinuzzi Castle: the Inczédi Castle - the birthplace of the well-known writer and politician Sigismund Kemény, a building that combines modern technology with the typical Transylvanian architecture of nineteenth century. With a decorated Baroque interior, the castle has a grandeur and elegance specific to the times of the Monarchy and is today a perfect location for sophisticated events. Tourists can also find, just 2 km from the castle, a former Franciscan monastery and church, built between 1729 and 1735 by the Bulgarian monks who arrived in the town.
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