Şaroş pe Târnave Fortified Church

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.

On the eastern hill above the village an early Gothic basilica with tower was first erected. Around 1510 the church was fortified, thus the old chancel was demolished and replaced by a high chancel with polygonal closure strengthened by a defence level built in stone. Due to its height of almost 11 meters and its defence systems the chancel protected the ensemble against the slope. A wooden defence level was built on the tower. The chancel still preserves its stellar vault and the fine tracery on the windows originating from the construction time of the church, but the nave was rebuilt in 1795 in Baroque style. On the northern side of the chancel stands the two-leveled sacristy dated 1519. On its second level a chapel was set up. Especially valuable are the Renaissance portal of the sacristy and the Neoclassical altar.

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.