Biertan rural site

Have you heard about the legendary story of the tower in Biertan, where there's an extremely small room called the "prison"? For 300 years, couples whose relationship became tense were brought here. The local priest would lock the two partners inside until they managed to resolve their differences and avoid divorce. The goal was for the couples, with the hope of saving their marriage, to share everything in this cramped space, from a single pillow and blanket to a single seat at the table, a single spoon, and a very small bed.

But come and experience firsthand the moments spent here, between the walls of the tower; you'll discover how highly valued peace and good understanding were in the past.

Biertan was a true economic center and Saxon episcopal center. A target for invaders, it needed an imposing fortified church, surrounded by strong walls. And today, the hall church built at the beginning of the 16th century in a late Gothic style still dominates the settlement from the hill. Its image enveloped in mist, with flocks of sheep grazing in the fields or shining in the midst of snow in winter, circulates the internet.

As soon as you enter, the altar with its 28 biblical scenes captures your attention, as do the Anatolian carpets or the sacristy door.

Although a rural locality, many young people from here went to study in Vienna or other European universities. They became doctors, historians, engineers, pharmacists, and teachers, demonstrating the aspirations of a Transylvanian village in the Age of Enlightenment. Here you see traces of the past and feel at home in old Europe.

Biertan can be reached by two main access roads: from the localities of Șaroș pe Târnave and Richiș. Both routes are of wild beauty. And in both villages, you can stop before to visit the Evangelical churches. But when you enter Biertan, whether or not you are passionate about the history of ecclesiastical buildings in Transylvania, this church will simply take your breath away. It's no wonder that between 1572 and 1867, Biertan was the seat of the Lutheran Evangelical Diocese in Transylvania. The architectural ensemble with the beautiful fortified church led to the inclusion of the entire locality on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1993.

The first church in this locality was documented in 1402, dedicated to Saint Mary. Also, the frescoes inside the Catholic Tower, dominated by the theme of the Last Judgment, plead in this direction. The current church was built at the end of the 15th century and in the first quarter of the 16th century, with documents mentioning payments for various works until 1523.

Biertan is considered by many researchers and tourists as the possessor of the most imposing Saxon fortified citadel in Transylvania. Between 1572 and 1867, Biertan was, indeed, the seat of the Lutheran Evangelical Diocese in Transylvania.

The locality of Biertan is located in the Târnava Valley, an area where viticulture has been practiced since ancient times. Precisely because of this occupation of the inhabitants, the area experienced continuous development in the Middle Ages, despite the more difficult times caused by foreign attacks.

The Gothic portal of the church can be attributed to the period between 1510 and 1516, based on the coats of arms of Vladislav II (1490-1516) and John Zápolya (1510-1526) placed above the frame. The jambs of the doors were made in 1524, and the frames of those in the north and south of the nave are distinct, highlighting Renaissance elements.

The frame of the sacristy door features intersecting rods with visible Renaissance features. The jamb of this door, decorated with inlaid motifs, bears the date of 1515 and has a special lock, through which a single key simultaneously operates 13 bolts penetrating in four directions into the stone frame - perhaps the most captivating detail of the Biertan church. This medieval jewel was awarded a prize at the Paris Salon in 1900.