Hetiur Fortified Church

The three-aisled Romanesque basilica called The Hill Church (Biserica din Deal) evolved from the chapel of an early Szekler- or Noble castle. It had a bell tower at the western side, which was later incorporated into the new hall church during alterations in the 14th century. Soon after the reformation the church was not used as a parish church anymore but as a chapel for the Saxon school. Wooden vaults replaced the Gothic vaults of the chancel end of the 19th century. On the interior walls medieval paintings were preserved and they were uncovered during the restoration works financed by the Messerschmitt Foundation in 1995. Remains of the original inventory are valuable Renaissance tombstones, the beautiful tabernacle and a carved Gothic pew. Today the church has been converted to a museum, where a variety of important altars from abandoned or endangered churches and a collection of storage chests dating to the 17th and 18th Century are on display.
The former Monastery’s Church (Biserica Mănăstirii) of the Dominican order was used as parish church after the reformation as of 1555. The other buildings of the monastery were then converted to accommodate the town hall. Later in the 19th century they were dismantled by the Hungarian administration. The Gothic hall church derived from an earlier Romanesque basilica first mentioned in 1298. The four-bayed nave is followed by the long narrow chancel, which still preserves its original Gothic vault. Today the interior appears cramped because of the galleries that were built into the aisles. The original inventory is reduced to the baptismal font of bronze dating to 1440 and the splendid baroque altar of 1680. Hanging on walls and galleries there is a collection of precious carpets originating from Anatolia in eastern Turkey dating back to the 17th and 18th century.

In the already free community by the end of the 14th century, a church hall in the late Gothic style was erected. In 1500 it was surrounded by an irregular defence wall, which still exists today. On the southern side there is the imposing gate tower, which serves as a bell tower at the same time, being endowed with machicoulis and a wooden defence floor, covered by a pyramidal roof.
At the beginning of the 19th century the church went through many changes: the building was extended to the west, the nave was covered with a stuccoed ceiling, while the chancel preserved its ribbed cross vault.
The interior furniture from the 19th century comprises the three side wooden gallery built on columns, the organ from 1843 and the beautiful neoclassical pew in the chancel. The painter Andreas Hermann from Sighişoara made the altar as early as 1713. The interior still keeps the strict sitting order of the Transylvanian Saxons, with places for men in the galleries, places for women in the hall’s benches, according to their age, as well as places in the chancel for the candidates awaiting confirmation and the members of the Presbyterian committee.

The small tower-less late Gothic church in Daneş was built in 1506. The tower was much later erected in 1927, as well as its defence levels, probably as a sign of self-assertion towards the 1918 new Romanian state and as a symbol for the 800 years of Saxon history in Transylvania. From the original defence wall only a few remains on the south side and a gate tower with a small watchtower are still preserved. The inner furniture dates back to different time periods: the baptismal font and the pulpit are Baroque, the altar is from 1878 and the organ from 1920. The vault covering the church’s hall was built in 1868.