Synagogue in Mediaș

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.

The fortified church in Ighişu Nou was built in the 14th/15th century as a hall tower-less Gothic church with narrow chancel. The chancel was heightened in the late 15th century with an additional defence level. A tower was constructed in the front hall, with the staircase built in the thickness of its walls. The small octagonal stair tower on the northern side has been built only later. Similar to many churches in the Mediaş area, this one also preserves some very valuable stone masonry: blooming roses on the impost of the tracery on the chancel windows and a very rich ornamentation on the profiled western portal. The massive western tower still maintains its original hip roof and the wooden defence level.
The church is surrounded by a complete defence wall with the remains of a fortified granary on the north side, as well as a horseshoe-shaped bastion on the southern side, which closes the narrow outer bailey.

Although the construction date of the church is unknown, its chancel was built in the late 14th century. In order to offer protection from the hillside, the chancel was fortified by adding three more defence levels, thus rising far above the nave. The upper fortification system can be accessed through a small spiral staircase and is situated above the rib vault. The ring wall built one century later, once over 6m tall, was downsized and its gate tower converted to a house for the castle guardian. The western Gothic portal features stylistic characteristics specific for the Mediaş area. A Neoclassic side gallery characterizes the nave’s interior, while the Baroque altar dominates the chancel. Here, next to the Gothic tabernacle and dated to the same period, one can find the beautiful portal to the sacristy. Another interesting characteristic is the wooden roofed staircase leading to the fortress.