Roman Castrum in Sânpaul

The village of Sânpaul in Harghita is famous today for the "Birds' Stop" nature reserve, for its fish-rich marshes, but also for the salt flats in its vicinity. You will discover it in the valley of Homorodul Mare, at the foot of the Harghita Mountains, in a particularly picturesque land.

The andesite stone hammers discovered in the area indicate that salt has been extracted in these lands since prehistoric times. Clearer evidence regarding the exploitation of salt at Sânpaul, however, belongs to the Roman period. In his monograph on mining, historian and archaeologist Volker Wollmann talks about the existence of a military fortification near the salt deposits here.

The auxiliary fort from Sânpaul dates to the 2nd-3rd centuries AD and it was the only important military fortification on the upper valley of the Great Homorod. Near it lay the Roman civil settlement (vicus).

Currently, the castrum is not visible on the surface, the traces of Roman structures are found under the current buildings and households, in the area of the Unitarian church and the village school, at the intersection of the county roads Sânpaul-Bădeni and Sânpaul-Rupea.

Brief historical foray

The first to assume the existence of a camp at Sânpaul was Balázs Orbán. This happened in the second half of the nineteenth century. In 1942, the fortification was identified in the field by István Paulovics. Archaeological excavations in the period 1957-1958 provided important data regarding the stages and manner of construction.

It is assumed that the first castrum, the wooden one, was built in the first half of the second century. The second phase, that of the castrum with the stone enclosure, probably dates from the second half of the second century. The stone castrum had a rectangular shape and dimensions of 150 x 133 m.

Priceless treasures

In the area of the site at Sânpaul, pottery, coins and a limestone votive altar reminiscent of a conductor salinarum have been discovered. The text of the Latin inscription was translated as follows:

"To the unconquered sun, for the health of Caius Iulius Valentinus conductor of the salt works, Iulius Omucio his freedman put (the prinos)".

According to this inscription, Caius Iulius Valentinus was the lessee of the salt mines in the area, and Iulius Omucio was an official, a freedman (freed slave), who was in charge of managing the saltworks of his patron. 

Unique experiences

You cannot leave the commune of Mărtiniş without visiting the saltwater fountain. Although increasingly rare, salt wells are still valuable assets to the local community. In the olden days, villagers regularly received salt water for domestic use and for household animals.

If traditional architecture fascinates you, take a walk through the streets of Comănești village. You will see houses and gates that can be considered true jewels of folk art.

You can also meet art in the village of Făget, where the beautiful Román Viktor Memorial Park is located. Another attraction of the village of Făget is the House of the Past, where the home and tools of the Szekler from the countryside are presented.