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Brasov - Churches
The Black Church
The Black Church is one of the oldest religious monuments of Romania and a fine example of
Gothic evolution in Transylvania.
There are known several “white churches”, one in Belgrade – Bela Crvka, White Church in
Bucharest or villages bearing the white name, but there is just one Black Church. The
construction of the church started in the second part of the 14th century on the site of a
previous wooden church which was built probably in the 13th century.
At the end of the 14th century Brasov knew a great economical development because it was
located at the intersection of important trade roads which were connecting the Orient and
Romanian Principalities to the Western Europe. Thus, the Saxons of Brasov had been able to
build a church which impressed the traders coming from Orient.
The Catholic priest Thomas Sander was the one who started the construction of the church in
1838. He served as a priest since 1377 till 1419. In 1421 when the church, dedicated to the
Holy Virgin Mary, had been almost built, the Turkish invasion destroyed it partially. The
inhabitants rebuilt it but this time they didn’t respected exactly the initial plans of the
church because of the invasion threats. Thus the church’s proportion was not respected and the
nave of the church is just 11m (36ft) longer than the choir which is 31m (102ft) long.
The constructions continued in the 15th century when, among others, two main benefactors had
helped the church by donating a large amount of money. The first of them was John of Hunyadi,
governor of Transylvania, his crest being visible even today on the pillar opposite the
pulpit, while the second was his son, Matthias Corvinus, king of Hungary between 1458 and
1490. He is the benefactor of the mural painting located in the southern porch where his own
crest is visible as well as that of his wife, Beatrix of Aragon whom he married in 1476.
1477 is given as the year when the church was practically finished although the works,
modifications and renovations had been continuing till the 20th century. A first organ is
mentioned in 1476 while in 1514 the church clock is mentioned for the first time.
The 16th century had been the century of great religious reforms which eventually were brought
in Transylvania for the first time by the great intellectual and humanist, Johannes Honterus,
who became the first evangelical priest in Transylvania. The Black Church is known for been
the first church of Transylvania with an evangelical sermon held in 1542. In 1544, the year
when Johannes Honterus became the first evangelical priest of the Black Church, all the
Catholic frescoes were either removed from the church or covered with plaster.
In 1602-1603, during the plague epidemic, 150 bodies were buried in the church while many
other were buried in the cemetery around the church. But the biggest calamity of Brasov was
recorded on April 21st, 1689 when a big fire destroyed most of the town, killing about 300
people. The fire which had started on the Rope Makers’ street, today the Street of the Castle,
spread out to the entire citadel destroying many important buildings. The roof of the Black
Church had burnt down until fell down on the vault igniting the interior. It destroyed
completely the organ, the altar, the pulpit, the rugs, the epitaphs and the pews. The only
spared things were the baptismal font from 1472 and the treasury room.
For several decades the renovations had been continuing till 1772 when the church received a
new vault. In the mean time, the Black Church had received a temporary roof, new bells and the
first sermon had been held in 1691. Between 1710 and 1714 two side galleries were built
because the church had become too small to host a larger number of parishioners.
In 1866 the altar was rebuilt while in 1923 the organ gallery was enlarged. The first modern
renovations were done in 1937 when for the first time a new system for hot air was introduced
in the church with the help of Samuel Schiel, a great businessman. In the same year new pews
were brought in the church. What is interesting about these pews is the fact that their back
rest is a mobile one, sliding back and forth in order to allow the people to attend either the
sermon or the organ concert.
Many other renovations had been carried out in the last part of the 20th century. Since 2000
twenty spotlights had been illuminating the Black Church.
Exteriors
The church is considered to be one of the largest in southern Europe. It is 89m (292ft) long
while its total surface is 4500m². It is located at 589m (19332ft) above the sea level.
The Western Portal, a fine example of the Central European Flamboyant Gothic architecture, is
the main entrance of the church. It is narrow because the initial plans of the church had two
towers, one each side of the portal. Due to the lack of money and invasions only one tower was
built in the end. On the northern side of the entrance, traces of marks made by the swords of
the knights are still visible. The swords were blessed in a religious ceremony and then the
knights used to sharp them against the wall of the church.
Next to the portal lies the southern tower which is 65.5m (215ft) high. The builders didn’t
dare to respect the standards for a higher tower of a Gothic church because they were afraid
an earthquake could destroy it. In 1858 a clock had been placed on the tower and then changed
twice.
The tower displays three bells. The first mention about the bells was done in 1512 when the
metal for the bells had been bought. In the great fire of 1689 the bells were melted and
replaced with others which fell down in 1605 and 1750. In 1839 a new bell of 1000kg (2204lbs)
was cast and it tolls daily. In 1858 a second bell was made in Cluj and it is the heaviest
bell in Romania weighing 6 tons. The third one is just 250kg 551(lbs) and it dates back to
1791 being the oldest one.
In the past, all these bells had been tolled manually, 8 men being necessary for the heaviest
one, but starting with 1970 they operate electrically.
On the southern part of the Black Church there are different doors. The closest to the statue
of Honterus leads to the gallery of the organ, the second is the Confessional Gate and the
last one belongs to the southern porch or the former Wedding Portal. It is guarded by two
statues which represent John the Baptist and the Archangel Michael.
The eastern portal on the northern side is the Golden Portal, once the most decorated portal
of all. The pillars on this side had been decorated with more statues which were lost in the
past. Today, only one of them was rebuilt. It represents a young bending man. The legend has
it that this young man who is looking down from the church’s roof was the best apprentice of
the construction site. His master, afraid that his apprentice will outclass him, taking his
position, pushed the young boy one day while he was checking the pillars. The man died but the
master had regretted his deed and confessed his murder. He received the death penalty.
The western portal of the northern side represents the Gate of Sacrifice which bears many
Gothic elements.
The entire exterior of the church bears the traces of many kerfs. The legend has it that the
fighters used to sharp their swords in the andesite stone of the church, a volcanic rock.
Interiors
The interior of the Black Church impresses with its long nave and altar, with it carpet
collection or with its amazing organ.
The side galleries were built between 1710 and 1714 for journeymen and apprentices. One of the
first exhibits that impresses is the pulpit made in 1696 and located on a southern pillar in
the center of the nave. At the base of the pulpit one can see Moses while above him there are
the signs of 4 evangelists. The lid of the pulpit holds Jesus.
Opposite the pulpit one can see the coat of arms of Johannes Hunyadi, a benefactor of the
church and governor of Transylvania. Bellow it there are the golden crest of Brasov, a crown
on log with stumps and a painting representing the father of the Reformation, Dr. Martin
Luther (1486-1546). The pews of the councilmen are located behind the pillar with the crest
while opposite there are the pews of the professors from the Honterus School. Some of the pews
have painted tablets representing symbols of different guilds. The most interesting of them
are those of the tailor guild which represent the 10 virtues: Diligence, Hope, Wisdom,
Temperance, Chastity, Patience, Generousness, Love, Goodness and Godliness. On the eastern
side one can see a painting from 1898 representing Honterus preaching in front of the
councilmen. Another painting, this time located in the northern side, represents in a modern
way the Wedding of Cana. Next to it one can see an old medieval fresco depicting the
Assumption of Mary. During the reformation the all painting were removed from the church or
covered with plaster.
The baptismal font, surrounded by a wrought-iron from 1714, is the oldest object in the
church. Made in 1472 and donated by the parish priest Johannes Reudel, it survived even to the
great fire from 1689.
At the eastern end of the church one can see the Neo-Gothic altar made in Vienna in 1866.
Jesus, flanked by 4 evangelists, is represented preaching on the Mount.
Among many funeral stones and graves two of them must be mentioned. Behind the altar there is
a funeral stone of Thomas Sander, the one who initiated the works of the present church in the
14th century, while in front of the altar one can see the grave of Johannes Honterus.
On the northern wall of the altar there is an altar brought here from Feldioara for safe
kipping. It was made in the 15th century and shows the circumcision, the wedding of Joseph and
Mary, while the painting in the right shows the twelve year old Jesus preaching in the temple.
The altar is painted on both faces. Beneath the altar from Feldioara there is a tablet which
contains the names of all parish priests from 1336.
The Black Church displays two organs. The small one, located close to the southern portal, was
built in 1861 by Carl Hesse from Vienna for the evangelical church of Lechinta. In 1907 it had
been taken to Pazmos and 80 years later to Brasov. It was restored in 1997 and now it is used
for daily services and concerts.
The second Baroque organ is a true masterpiece and one of the most valuable in Romania. Built
in Berlin between 1836 and 1839 by the organ maker Carl August Buchholz, the organ consists of
3993 pipes, 4 manuals with 56 keys, one pedal with 27 keys and 63 audio registers. It was
inaugurated in 1839 by the master Buchholz in person. Regular concerts are being played since
1953.
The southern porch displays one of the best preserved frescoes in the Black Church. Virgin
Mary with the child is depicted in the center of the fresco. On the left one can see St.
Catherine of Alexandria holding a wheel and a sword pointing the location of the former St.
Catherin Chapel. On the right one can see Saint Barbara holding in her hands a tower. The
fresco represents the coat of arms of King Matthias Corvinnus and of his wife Beatrix of
Aragon. Also, the southern porch displays a list with names from the First World War and the
year 1654 on the cap stone which represents the time when the porch got the present form.
One of the most impressive Anatolian collections in the world belongs to the Black Church.
They are more than 100 carpets dating back to the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. They were
donated by private persons or guild in order to decorate the church.
The museum of the Black Church, inaugurated in 1984 and located at the base of the tower,
exhibits the life and work of the humanist Johannes Honterus, maps, pictures or the original
statues which were displayed outside, on the buttresses of the church. Also, a number of
tombstones were casted in the walls. They were located in the church where more than 300
bodies were buried.
The Court Yard
The Black Church is surrounded by several buildings which are connected at the history of this
place. There is a parish house and a high school founded by Honterus in 1541. The statue
represents Honterus pointing towards his school while in his left hand holds the Booklet of
Reforms and the School Regulation. The statue was made by Harro Magnussen from Berlin in 1898
when they celebrated 400 years since the birth of Johannes Honterus.
In 1883, marking 400 years since the birth of Luther, three lime trees were planted in the
court yard. The one in the middle is called Luther; the one in the eastern part is dedicated
to Philip Melanchton, while the one in the weastern part is dedicated to Honterus.
The Black Church Schedule:
Summer time
Monday – Saturday: 10:00 – 17:30
Sunday: closed
Winter time:
Monday – Saturday: 10:00 – 15:30
Sunday: closed
The Black Church entrance fee: RON6
The Regular Organ Concerts Schedule:
Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday: 18:00 – 18:30
Address: 2-9 Curtea Johannes Honterus
see more pictures from this place...
The Saint Nicholas Church
Brasov was not a town just for Germans but a town of Romanians, too. In fact, the Romanians were the first one to live in the area of Brasov. They had founded a small village called Catun where the defenders of the first citadel were living. When the Germans colonized these territories, the Romanians lost gradually many of their rights and they were forced to live outside the German citadel in a Romanian neighborhood known as Scheii Brasovului. It is here they built their Orthodox Church in 1495.
The deeds mention that the church was built on the place where a cross protected by a shingle roof stood somewhere around 1292. Later, a wooden church was built on the site of the cross.
The church is for the first time documentary certified in 1399 by the Pope Bonifacius XI who wanted to convert the believers of the schismatic Orthodox Church.
The Romanians who had strongly felt the need of an Orthodox Church for their souls asked the Wallachian princes to build a church for them. In 1495 Vlad the Monk, the half-brother of the famous Vlad the Impaler – known as Dracula,stayed for a while in Scheii Brasovului. Thus, he is considered the founder of the Saint Nicholas Church from Brasov. On the other hand, a much later chronicle mentions that in 1495 the Wallachian Prince Neagoe Basarab was among the first founders of the church. The works will continue and the next Wallachian princes will send money, gifts and workers needed for the constructions. Among them were Petru Cercel who took care of the parlor, some of the frescoes and the altar. Aron Voda continued by adding the tower.
The works had been carried on by different princes from Wallachia and Moldavia.
In the 20th century the church was restored, new oak-doors were made; a new gilded iconostasis made of lime tree was brought in. The paintings were redone by the painter Costin Petrescu in the Neo-Byzantine style.
The Saint Nicholas Church was not just a religious place of the Romanians from Brasov, but also an important propagator and defender of the Romanian culture and spirit. It is here the first Romanian books were published in Transylvania and the first Romanian school open.
The court yard of the church is the place where Nicoale Titulescu , the former president of the League of Nations between 1930 and 1932, was buried.
The Saint Nicholas Schedule:
Monday - Sunday: 08:00 - 18:00
The Saint Nicholas Church entrance fee: free
Address: 2-3 Piata Unirii
The Saint Bartholomew Church
Located at the outskirts of Brasov, the Lutheran Saint Bartholomew Church, once part of the first medieval center of Brasov, is considered to be the oldest architectural monument in the city. Built in Romanesque style with early Gothic elements, the church has a long history.
Erected in the 13Th century, it impresses through its silhouette and massive surroundings walls. The church, with an ancient atmosphere and surrounded by graves has a simple design, without ornaments, looking like a Romanesque basilica. The Saint Bartholomew Church was built by the Cistercians monks from the monastery of Carta.
The church, according to a legend is known also as the Church of the Three Orphan Women who donated al their goods to the church and thus, buried in the altar.
It resisted against a series of calamities like fires or earthquakes. It was attacked in 1459 by the famous Prince Vlad the Impaler, known as Dracula, or in 1611 by the Prince of Transylvania Gabriel Bathory.
The church, protected by massive walls, has broken arch windows and vaults on Gothic ogives. The oldest parts of the monument are made of tuff while for decorations they used sandstones. The tower was replaced in 1842 after it had collapsed 20 years earlier and it is built on 5 levels. The altar of the church dates back from 1791 while the organ was made by Johannes Prause in 1923. The walls of the church display an interesting sundial. The court yard of the Saint Bartholomew Church is in the same time the cemetery of the Saxon parishioners.
In 2003 an ethnographic museum was open exhibiting more than 1500 objects donated by the Saxons of the Burzenland area. Since the 16Th century a festival has been organized each year one on the Sunday before the Saint Bartholomew’s Day. The religious ceremony is followed by dances and fanfare music.
The Saint Bartholomew Church Schedule:
Monday – Friday: 09:00 – 12:00
Thursday: 09:00 – 12:00 and 15:00 – 17:00
Saturday and Sunday: closed
Address: 251 Strada Lunga
The Orthodox Church
The present church was founded due to the fact that starting with 1791 the Romanians were not allowed anymore to attend the religious service in a different Orthodox churched which had been shared with the Greeks.
In 1833 the Romanians blessed a little chapel on the present site of the church after they had initially bought the land for it. By the passing of time the church became too small for the large number of the believers and a new church had to be built. In 1899 the cornerstone was set for the new church designed by the architect G. Brus who had as model the Greek Church from Vienna. The Neo-Byzantine church, consecrated in 1985, is dedicated to the Assumption of the Holly Virgin, just like the first chapel. Because the Orthodox religion was just tolerated, the Romanians had to build the church at the back of the court. The first entrance tower, which hides the church even today, had been destroyed by the earthquake in 1940 and another one was built in 1973.
The Orthodox Church Schedule:
Monday – Sunday: 08:00 – 18:00
Address: Piata Sfatului
The Catholic Church
In the first part of the 14Th century a Dominican monastery was founded on the place of the present church. After the Protestant Reformation the church ends partially as a Lutheran church, partially as a storage room. In 1686 the Catholic Austrian Empire helped the Catholic Church to regain its old churches. Thus, in 1716 the former Dominican church became the property of the Jesuits monks who controlled it till 1766 when the church was destroyed, 7 years later the order being suppressed in most of the countries.
The present church was built between 1776 and 1782 with the help of the Empress Maria Theresa. The plans of the church were designed by the architect Lamanch Josefsz Karoly and it is considered the most representative Baroque building from Brasov. The main facade is made in a pure Baroque style and is embellished by many decorative elements.
The church exhibits many altars which are richly adorned with paintings and sculptures. The main altar is gilded and made of wood. The Roman-Catholic church, dedicated to the Saints Peter and Paul, owns a beautiful organ made in Timisoara before the WWII and amazing stain-glass windows made in Budapest between 1891 and 1894. The Path of the Cross is depicted in 14 paintings.
Address: Muresenilor Street
The Franciscan Monastery
According to the deeds, the present northern part of the citadel, between the Saint John Street and the Michael Weiss Street, didn’t have any constructions in the 15Th century. Later, a new monastery documentary certified in 1486 was built for the Order of the Poor Ladies, the second Franciscan order.
As a result of the 16Th century Protestant Reformation the Franciscan nuns were thrown out of the citadel. Thus, the catholic building had been taken over by the Lutherans who, for a century, used it as a granary.
In 1686 the Austrian Empire, the most important defender of the Catholicism, took Transylvania under their control. From that moment the Counter-Reformation was initiated in Transylvania and the first Catholic orders, the Jesuit and Franciscan ones, appeared again in this area. After they had received back their former properties in 1724 the Franciscan Order started to renovate the church which in the meantime had been affected by a fire. The next year marks the inauguration of the renovated church.
The church displays a nice organ from 1908, 18Th century Baroque furniture, several saint statues and the main altar which represents the Saint John the Baptist in the central part and the benefactors of this altar, Ludwig Andreas Khevenhüller with his wife in the upper medallion.
Address: 7 Sfantul Ioan Street
The Saint Martin Church
It is believed that 1235 is the year when a new church was built on the place of a former chapel. The church is mentioned in 1421 when it was damaged during the Turkish invasion. The reconstruction of the church continued for the next centuries when many modifications were made. The present shape dates back to 1796 when the church was extended toward east.
The evangelical church exhibits an organ made in 1926 and stain-glass windows made in the same year. The pulpit, built in the wall, has a cylindrical shape and its lid represents Jesus and the statues of the evangelists.
The choir is dominated by a polyptych altar which represents Jesus in the center flanked by the Saint Apostles Peter and Paul.
Address: 12 Dealul de Jos Street
The Holy Trinity Church
According the law of the Saxon cities from Transylvania, the Orthodox people were not allowed to practice their religion inside the citadels. In 1771 the Austrian Empire adopted a series of reforms and after many petitions the councilmen of Brasov agreed in 1786 to allow the Orthodox believers to transform some of the Saxon house of the citadel in religious buildings. They were not allowed to add towers or to use normal bells or vesper bells. The first tower is to be placed only in 1953. Before that, in 1853 a bell tower had been arranged in the Graft Bastion.
The Romanians, Greeks and the Brancoveanu family raised money for the new church. For one year both communities had been used the church together but after that the Greeks arrogated it to themselves and the Romanians were forced to built another one. In 1942, when the Greeks had left Brasov, the church became the property of the Romanians.
The church is one of the few Orthodox churches built in a Baroque style. The amazing interior exhibits beautiful frescoes painted in 1859 by Gulimievici and twice restored in 1908 and 1963, icons and a gilded Baroque iconostasis made in 1855. Also, the church boasts a Venetian icon from 1633 and a gospel book with gilded silver binding.
As a curiosity, the church is been boasting since 1980 the oldest roadside crucifix from this area, dating back to 1292.
Members of the Brancoveanu family, priests and members of the Greek community are buried in the cemetery located in the courtyard.
Address: 12 George Baritiu Street
The Synagogues
The first Jews established in Brasov in 1807. By the passing of the time their number grew up constantly till 1940 when they were about 6000. At the beginning they were allowed to practice only a limited range of jobs. Later, they became important members of the local community.
The Jewish community had split in two, each of them building their own religious places.
The Neolog Synagogue had been built in two years and inaugurated in 1901. The Hungarian architect Lipot Baumhorn used a Moorish style for the synagogue. The religious place is also embellished with Gothic and Romanic elements.
It is still in service and good condition.
Entrance fee: RON10
Address: 27 Poarta Schei
The Orthodox Synagogue was built 1924 for the other Jewish community from Brasov. It was used till 1941 when it suffered serious acts of vandalism. The religious place is not in use anymore.
Address: 64 Strada Castelului
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