Petreşti Fortified Church

While admiring the scenery of Transylvanian fortified churches, the traveler should not miss the small town of Sebeş. In its center the fortified church bears the imprints of the past with dignity. The monument was built in the 12th century by Saxon colonists, was destroyed during the Mongol invasion 1241-1242 and later on rebuilt in Gothic style, fortified and provided with a defence wall. In the second half of the 14th century, a period characterized by a flourishing economy, an impressive chancel was constructed. For almost 40 years, starting mid 15th century, Sebeş was under Ottoman domination.
In the centuries that followed, agriculture lost its importance and the town became a center for craftsmen, who diligently brought a great contribution to the church’s enhancement. However, WWI ended Sebeş’s prosperity. The bells were confiscated, melted and turned into ammunition. They could only be replaced as late as 1925.

The Câlnic castle was built around 1270 and equipped with a residential tower, defence wall and a water ditch featuring a drawbridge. After the castle was taken over by the Saxon community, it was expanded through the construction of a second defence wall and a southern tower. For a better defence against sieges, granaries and several rooms were attached to the fortification wall, however they did not last to the present day. The fortress was provided with a small single-nave church featuring a semicircular apse towards the end of the 15th century. During the construction of the second defence wall, the water ditch was covered up and the drawbridge replaced with a gatehouse featuring a portcullis. Today, an association of the University of Cluj administrates the facility.

The castle was built in the 13th century to serve as refuge fort for the local noble family. The rectangular fortification wall, its entrance tower and the donjon having residential function survived the centuries. Today the bells floor built in 1879 and covered with the distinctive pointed spire, flanked by four corner turrets stands over the vaulted lower floors of the tower. The noble castle was later taken over by the community, which built the old school in the precincts.
Another important building is the Gothic parish church nearby, which was rebuilt in Baroque style after destruction and has a valuable Baroque altar. It is also possible to visit the ruins of the originally fortified Romanesque church on the hill near the Evangelic cemetery.