Viscri Fortified Church 

Viscri Fortified Church, Romania, history and travel information by Castletourist.com
Image by javier alamo from Pixabay

The Viscri fortified church is a Lutheran fortified church in Viscri, Brașov County, in the Transylvania region of Romania. It was built by the ethnic German Transylvanian Saxon community at a time when the area belonged to the Kingdom of Hungary.

Initially Roman Catholic, it became Lutheran following the Reformation. Together with the surrounding village, the church forms part of the villages with fortified churches in the Transylvania UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In the 12th century, fortifications began to be built around the chapel. Forming an oval and made of river and fieldstone, the south, east and northeast walls have survived; these are 7 m in height. The entrance is through the southeast wall, to which two towers and two bastions were added in the 14th century.

The south tower, built into the wall exterior, had three floors and a battlement resting on wooden corbels. Sharing a roof with the south bastion, the tower’s lower levels were joined into a hall entered from the east.

The topmost level kept its parapets, with their oak border and moveable logs that could shut in defenders. The south bastion battlement and roof were joined with those of the south tower.

In 1999, Viscri, together with five other places, was added to the already-listed Biertan to form the villages with fortified churches in Transylvania UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Additionally, the church is listed as a historic monument by Romania’s Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs, with the following being listed as separate entries: the inner walls and towers, the outer walls, and a 19th-century outdoor space for festive dances.