Church & monasteryTransylvania

Biertan fortified church: three rings of walls above a Saxon village

Biertan fortified church (Biserica fortificată din Biertan, German Kirchenburg von Birthälm) is a Lutheran hall church ringed by three lines of walls and towers on a hill in Sibiu County, Transylvania. Built by the Transylvanian Saxons and part of a UNESCO World Heritage site, it is one of the best-known Saxon fortified churches and well worth a detour from Sighișoara.

In Biertan’s fortified church, quarrelling couples were reportedly shut in one small room for two weeks with a single bed, plate and spoon; in three centuries, just one couple divorced.

WhereBiertan (Birthälm), Sibiu County, Transylvania, Romania

TypeLate Gothic Lutheran fortified church with three rings of walls, UNESCO World Heritage

Best forSaxon history, medieval defences, a carved and painted altar and Transylvanian village life

Getting thereIn the village of Biertan, roughly 23 km from Sighișoara; a covered stairway of about 100 m leads up from the central square

The history of Biertan fortified church

Biertan, known in German as Birthälm, was probably founded by Transylvanian Saxons between 1224 and 1283, in the medieval Kingdom of Hungary. Around 1315 the region obtained the rights set out in the Golden Charter of 1224, and the village grew into an important market town, in competition with Mediaș and Moșna. A church, probably Romanesque, is first mentioned in 1402.

In the last decade of the 15th century work began on the late Gothic hall church that still stands, on the site of the earlier Romanesque one. It was the last hall church built in Transylvania, with three naves of equal height under rib vaults, and it was dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The hilly site shaped its design. An inscription of 1522 above the triumphal arch may refer to the completion of the building. For a short time the church was Roman Catholic, and after the Reformation it became Evangelical Lutheran.

Biertan’s rank explains the scale of its defences. In 1572 the local pastor Lukas Unglerus was elected bishop of the Lutheran church, and the village remained the seat of the bishops, and the spiritual centre of the Transylvanian Saxons, until 1867. The king had granted the right to build defences while the Ottoman army threatened the region, and, as often in Transylvania, the Saxons fortified the church rather than the whole village. Three rings of walls with towers were built over time: the inner ring in the 14th century, the middle ring together with the new church, and the outer ring in the 16th and 17th centuries.

The church was occupied and plundered during the Kuruc wars, around 1704. It was damaged by the Vrancea earthquake of 1977 and restored between 1983 and 1989, partly thanks to donations from people originally from Biertan now living abroad. Since 1990 Saxons have returned each year to celebrate their heritage. In 1993 Biertan and its fortified church were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, and in 1999 six other villages were added to form the site called Villages with Fortified Churches in Transylvania.

Curiosities about Biertan fortified church

The grounds hold a so-called matrimonial prison where couples wishing to divorce were shut in for two weeks, sharing a single bed, plate and spoon. During the three centuries when bishops lived in Biertan, only one couple is said to have divorced.
The polyptych altarpiece has 28 painted panels, made by 1513 by a painter probably trained in Vienna and Nuremberg. At its centre is a carved group with the crucified Christ, Mary and Mary Magdalene embracing the cross.
The richly inlaid door of the sacristy has a complex lock that was shown at a world fair in Paris; its single system secures the door in many places at once.
The bell tower north of the church is the only tower built entirely of wood, and the clock mechanism in the clock tower is signed by a clockmaker from Brașov and dated 1883.
A covered stairway about 100 m long climbs from the village square to the church. At its top stands a large boulder on which, on Sundays, those who had behaved badly during the week were seated in view of the whole community.
In 2011 Biertan featured on two postage stamps in a joint issue by Germany and Romania.

Tours near Biertan Fortified Church

Experiences in the area that you can book online with Viator:

Sighisoara and Biertan: UNESCO in Transylvania

★ 5 (29 reviews) · 11 h

See details ›

Transylvania Gems: Sighisoara, Medias, Biertan & Gypsy Encounter

★ 4.7 (14 reviews) · 12 h

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Exclusive tour: Sighisoara, Medias and Biertan tour from Sibiu

★ 5 (9 reviews) · 6 h

See details ›

Sibiu > Transylvanian Essence: Food, Crafts&People around Biertan

★ 5 (3 reviews) · 9 h

See details ›

Visiting Biertan fortified church: what to see

Climb the covered stairway from the village square and walk between the three rings of walls and the towers, including the wooden bell tower, the clock tower and the mausoleum tower with the tombstones of bishops.
Inside the hall church, look at the 28-panel altar, the carved stone pulpit, the choir stalls and the sacristy door. The organ dates from 1869 according to the Romanian Wikipedia.
The chapel in the Catholic tower holds a rare example of 16th-century Transylvanian wall painting.
Other places of this site within reach are Valea Viilor fortified church (about 20 km), the Clock Tower of Sighișoara (about 23 km), Saschiz fortified church (about 34 km) and Cârța Monastery (about 38 km).
Check the current opening hours before you go; the sources do not give them.

Opening hours, access and conditions can change. Check before you go.

Map: where Biertan Fortified Church is

Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors

Photos of Biertan Fortified Church

Questions

Where is Biertan fortified church?

It stands on a hill in the village of Biertan (Birthälm) in Sibiu County, Transylvania, Romania, roughly 23 km from Sighișoara.

Is Biertan fortified church a UNESCO World Heritage Site?

Yes. Biertan and its fortified church were inscribed in 1993, and in 1999 six more villages were added to form the Villages with Fortified Churches in Transylvania site.

Why was the church at Biertan fortified?

The king granted the right to build defences when the Ottoman army threatened the area. The Transylvanian Saxons chose to fortify the church rather than the entire village, and Biertan was also the seat of the Lutheran bishops from 1572 to 1867.

What is the matrimonial prison in Biertan?

It was a small room in the fortifications where quarrelling couples who wanted to divorce were shut in for two weeks with one bed, one plate and one spoon. Tradition says that only one couple went on to divorce.

When was Biertan fortified church built?

The present late Gothic hall church was begun in the last decade of the 15th century on the site of an earlier Romanesque church. It was the last hall church built in Transylvania, and an inscription dated 1522 may mark its completion.

What can you see near Biertan?

Valea Viilor fortified church is about 20 km away, the Clock Tower of Sighișoara about 23 km, Saschiz fortified church about 34 km and Cârța Monastery about 38 km.