Fortified Churches
Miercurea SibiuluiThe church-fortress stands in the north of the spacious square. The three-aisled Romanesque pier basilica in the centre, with its 13th century slender west tower, forms the core of the entire ensemble. The church and the oval enclosing wall were altered at the end of 15th century. The church got a saddle roof set on the banked aisle walls and as such the tower was included in the roof. The enclosing wall wall was heightened and a three-tiered clerestory was attached to the inner wall; a wall-walk in the first upper storey provides access to the loopholes, the meurtrieres and the machicolation, as well as to the storerooms. Elsewhere, south of the castle, large store chests were placed under a single-pitch roof. A fortified gate house provides access to the courtyard.
Nicoara Family +40/751/525/350
Fortified Churches
Miercurea SibiuluiThe church-fortress stands in the north of the spacious square. The three-aisled Romanesque pier basilica in the centre, with its 13th century slender west tower, forms the core of the entire ensemble. The church and the oval enclosing wall were altered at the end of 15th century. The church got a saddle roof set on the banked aisle walls and as such the tower was included in the roof. The enclosing wall wall was heightened and a three-tiered clerestory was attached to the inner wall; a wall-walk in the first upper storey provides access to the loopholes, the meurtrieres and the machicolation, as well as to the storerooms. Elsewhere, south of the castle, large store chests were placed under a single-pitch roof. A fortified gate house provides access to the courtyard.
Nicoara Family +40/751/525/350
The altar that stands in the church today is a baroque altar from 1760. It was made by Simon Wolff and Johann Weiß. In the center is a crucifix, flanked by wooden sculptures depicting Moses and Aaron, including a depiction of the Last Supper. Baroque architectural elements - columns, pillars, volutes and foliage - frame the paintings and sculptures.
Baroque painted pews from the 18th century have been preserved in the church.
The baroque wooden baptismal font also serves as a lectern.
The pneumatic organ is a work by the Rieger company and was installed in 1909. It has two manuals, pedal and 13 registers.
A stone epitaph from around 1736 commemorates the priest Georg Hutter; it bears a Latin inscription.
The slender bell tower from the 13th century still has many Romanesque elements.
On the church tower there is a working iron clock.
The church is surrounded by an almost circular wall, which, based on the ground plan, suggests that the first walled fortifications were built in the 13th century. In the 15th century the ring wall was renewed and adapted to the requirements of firearms. Cellar-like pantries are built inside the castle along the ring wall. The arrow slits on the ring wall could be served from the pantries on the ground floor. A second set of arrow slits was served by a corridor running between the curtain wall and the storerooms. Storerooms and battlements are covered by a broad pent roof. In the 16th century a second circular wall was added to the east of the fortified church. It had a fortification tower, the remains of which are still visible today.
| 1150-1200 | The village is built up by German settlers, possibly instead of a Szekler village. |
|---|---|
| 1200-1300 | Construction of a Romanesque three-nave pillared arcaded basilica with a bell tower. |
| 1494 | The distribution of the tax burden shows that Miercurea Sibiului must have suffered badly from the Turkish invasions, since it has to pay a relatively small contribution in relation to earlier tax lists. |
| 1496 | Miercurea Sibiului receives a grant of 10 guilders for the construction of the church. The church is rebuilt in the Gothic style. |
| 1500 | There are 40 families living in the village, 3 poor people and a teacher; 3 farms are deserted. |
| 1534 | Miercurea Sibiului is pledged to the mayor of Sibiu, Matthias Armbruster. |
| 1590 | The weekly and annual market rights for Miercurea Sibiului are established. |
| 1615 | Prince Gabriel Bethlen donated 82 guilders for the maintenance of the tower. |
| 1658 | The place is devastated and burned down by a Turkish army invading Transylvania against Prince George Rákóczy II. |
| 1704 | Serbs ("Ratzen") from the imperial army plunder the place. |
| 1783 | The church is rebuilt and enlarged to the east. |
| 1875 | The bishop from Sibiu on occasion of a general church visitation notes moral decay in the village. |
| 1977 | On the ring wall, 73 bacon chambers were still in use. |
| 1995-2005 | There were repair works on the church financed by the village. |
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