Fortress Church, Târgu Mureș

Fortress Church
Basic information
Location	Târgu Mureș, Romania
Affiliation	Reformed
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Church

The Fortress Church or the Big Church (in Hungarian Vártemplom) is the oldest church in Târgu Mureș.

History

After less than a century from the first historical proof of the existence of the Franciscan order in Transylvania, Hungarian Kingdom Franciscan monks arrived in the town. Its building took an entire century, from the middle of the 14th century until the middle of the 15th and includes the monastery building, an older chapel, the church and the steeple. As far as the architectural style is concerned, these buildings belong to the late Gothic, both structurally and aesthetically. There were three building periods: 1350–1370 – when the chapel and monastery were built, 1370–1400 – the erection of the church choir and 1400–1450 – the last period during which the church and steeple were finalized.

Description

The current appearance of the inside of the church is the result of numerous changes done in time. Close to the entrance there is a balcony supported by arches on posts. The slightly curved ceiling, reinforced by four pairs of double arches and decorated with stucco, is the result of remodeling works performed in 1790 by Anton Türk, one of the most famous Transylvanian architects of the Baroque period. The church may have been originally decorated with frescos, as traces of mural paintings were found inside. The almost complete disappearance of these paintings is due to the fact that the church became the property of reformed believers in 1557. The religious reform required for churches to have no paintings, statues or religious frescos.

The last one to be built was the 50 meter high, 4 level steeple-tower. The top level, where the bells are, has broken arch openings on all four sides. The pointed roof of the tower has four smaller towers in each corner. The tower may have replaced part of the monastery building, which was demolished to make place for it.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fortress Church.

• Culture in Mures: Fortress Church

List of places in Târgu Mureș
Places of worship	Bob Church Evangelical Church Franciscan Church Fortress Church Great Synagogue Minorita Church Nicholas Church St. Elisabeth Chapel St. John the Baptist Parish Church St. John of Nepomuk Church Small Reformed Church Unitarian Church
Historical buildings	Palace of Justice Apolló Palace Bányai House Bissingen House Bolyai House Cultural Palace Hotel and Coffee House Európa Görög House Kendeffy House Lábas House Legények House Teleki Library Teleki House Toldalagi Palace Tolnai House Hotel Transzilvánia
Statues and monuments	Bartók Béla Statue Bem Józef Statue Bolyai Farkas and János Statue Holocaust Statue Kossuth Lajos Statue Károly Kós Statue Kőrösi Csoma Sándor Statue Márton Áron Statue Sándor Petőfi Statue Pseudosphaera Statue Szentgyörgyi István Statue Székely martyrs' sculpture Zenélő kút
Other sites	Zoo Reformed Cemetery Roman Catholic Cemetery

Coordinates: 46°32′48″N 24°33′59″E / 46.54667°N 24.56639°E / 46.54667; 24.56639