Copşa Mare Fortified Church

Biertan gained its importance as a marketplace in competition with Mediaş and Moşna during the Middle Ages and was the seat of the bishop of the Evangelic Church from 1572 to 1867 . Therefore three mighty ring walls, two outer baileys and several defence towers protected the ensemble.
The towerless three-nave hall church, almost completely preserved was built in 1500 on the foundations of a previous Romanesque building. The chancel had two defence levels, but the wooden one was demolished in 1803. The interior, covered by lierne vaults with ribbing shelters great treasures such as the stone pulpit from 1523, decorated with relief scenes or the late Gothic winged altar with 28 panel paintings and a delicate truss frame.
The late Gothic sacristy door is a testimony of great craftsmanship. Richly decorated with inlay work, the door has a lock that was presented at the World Fair in Paris in 1889, a complicated system that centrally locks at 13 points simultaneously in order to safely keep the church treasure in the sacristy.

The village Valchid is hidden in a quiet side valley of the river Târnava Mare. In this place a church was build in the 14th century in pre-reformation style and has been preserved until today. It is surrounded by a fortification wall and has several defence towers.
From the beginning, history did not treat Valchid very well, but it is a typical example of the troubled past of the region. The very first documentary reference from the year 1317 relates to the attempted reconciliation of a dispute over land with a neighbouring village. The conflict flared up again and again over the next 450 years. In 1605 the village and the church were looted by passing troops. In 1776 the dispute over land was finally settled, but only a few years later a fire destroyed the entire village.
In the late 19th century the village made its living from viticulture and was heavy hit by the sudden invasion of phylloxera, which destroyed many vineyards. More than half of the inhabitants found themselves forced to emigrate.

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.