Dârlos Fortified Church

Only few remains are still preserved from the Gothic basilica of the 14th century and today’s church bears the signs of the changes it underwent in the 15th century. The aisles were subject to multiple transformations: the southern arcades were demolished and the wall was heightened. Particularly interesting are the arcades preserved on the northern side featuring profiled columns and various capitals. In order to stand against attacks, the church was fortified: a defence floor was built above the chancel and a battlement walk on the bell tower. Moreover the assembly was surrounded by defence wall with a five-level gate tower. A community house was constructed later on in 1906 by using material left from the partial dismantling of the defence wall.

The importance of the village of Aţel in the Middle Age results from its Gothic basilica which was built in several phases, boasting a transept, a sacristy, and a western tower. The impressive stone carvings on the pillars of the middle nave originate from the first building phase in 1380, while the rich decorated western portal might have been added in the second building phase at the beginning of the 15th century, when the fortification wall was built. In 1499 the third building phase was completed with the construction of the vaults above the naves, the heightening of the chancel and the building of the upper floors on the tower. Inside the church, beside the magnificent capitals of the pillars one can admire, the late Gothic sedilia and the finely crafted portal of the sacristy are very remarkable. The chancel boasts a pew with carvings and inlay work dating back to 1516.

Among the town cathedrals of Transylvania, Mediaș stands out due to the fact that not only the church, but also the whole castle complex are entirely preserved. Today’s appearance of the church dedicated to St. Margaret traces back to two preceding buildings, which had to undergo many alterations until 1482. The western tower on the other hand reached its full height only in the middle of the 16th century.
The interior of the church has an asymmetrical cross section, being a combination of basilica and hall church. By keeping the low height of the northern aisle, a series of outstanding medieval wall paintings were preserved on the wall of the nave above. The winged altar of 1485 is a masterpiece of the pre-reformation age. Furthermore there is a collection of important altars transferred from abandoned or endangered churches on display.
Inside the ring wall with its five towers the ensemble of Old Town Hall, school and parish house is cuddling around the church. In the south tower St. Mary’s chapel shows its well preserved pre-reformation frescoes. The inner ward depicts the development of the civic life in a Saxon town shaped over centuries, featuring the elements of church and defence, education and administration. Even today the buildings of church, school and parish house serve their original functions.