Fortified Church Dârjiu, Transilvania

Fortified Church Dârjiu - details and images

Dârjiu fortified church is declared UNESCO world heritage site in 1999 and is one of the most important churches szekler fortified, and comes in all references of these goals in Transylvania. This mainly due murals (mostly destroyed) within the church but the surrounding architecture and fortifications.

Dârjiu fortified church is called by locals and "city Slanina, fortified church built in several stages since the thirteenth century is the" soul "as it serves the community. In times of tribulation (and others) and locals took shelter in the "city" being preserved today possessions habit of storing meat and smoked bacon in cold rooms of the Boards of supplies. Once a week they are open for everyone to bring "supplies" or take what he needs. Originally built in Romanesque style (XIV-XV centuries), it was later transformed in gothic style.

Fortified in 1400, shows a rectangular enclosure with high walls, reinforced with six towers. The gate tower keeps original appearance, with massive masonry pierced with windows protected by locks of wood firing. Fortification works were associated with the beauty of the edifice, which was equipped with Gothic arches on ribs, ribs embedding destroyed, unfortunately, much of the original murals, completed in 1419. Floor covering potatoes fortified ship and choir, and watch the road parapet was removed in the console above the buttresses, which facilitated the opening of large holes in the roll cornice. Although designed for commercial utility, they have a special decorative effect.

An equally powerful impact of access to organ produces scale, on the east side, a massive sculptural work in cut plans vigorously. Wall Assembly Conversion includes an illustration of the Apostle Paul, the Martyrdom of the 10,000 some figures of saints and bishops. The most valuable paintings are the canned cycle legend of King Ladislas (Tracking Cumans, wrestling, defeating and killing Cumans, Ladislaus's rest).

As with other Transylvanian medieval paintings, the background is uniform, as a screen that projected images, but is treated decorative surface being entirely covered with a kind of wallpaper, made with the pattern, resulting from grouping the ornamental motif of four lilies willing to style the cross. This type of decoration, imitating wallpaper has spread under the influence of Gothic mural painting miniatures, especially the French, who have seen a boom in the second half of the fourteenth century. In this respect, deserves to be seen fiddling the jeweler with whom Paul has played the costume details, weapons and harness horses. Figure painting is the hero of the Hungarian king Ladislaus cycle (1077-1095), whose crown and belt beaten with pearls, pearl shape as the halo remind older Italo-Byzantine models. Thus the whole Church has gained a stronghold aspect, with a high roof, no towers.

Today the fortifications and a church is organized museum shows objects in daily activities of the village in the area of Transylvania. Unfortunately, relatively difficult to reach Dârjiu (village that has in its arms and clock tower) is required to read all good km on country roads only partially paved or gravel is likely to do this adventure in the rain or snow. Fortification is on a square enclosure and above the entry gate was built the old clock tower that houses the mechanism, now broken. They still see traces of the four quadrants that were on the faces of the tower.

Chronicles the story of the village keep watch, in 1882 the villagers considered it reasonable to put in a clock tower. In agreement have decided to give this work a workman from a neighboring village (Agyagfalva) named Sandor Csoma. I bought a ready-made watch from one of the producers of the era as are other clocks in the towers were fortified churches but preferably one manufactured locally. The clock was completed only in 1894 and unfortunately it worked only 8 years until 1902 when lightning damaged the mechanism.

That clock was repaired in 1955 by a grandson of the artist Sandor - Csoma Karoly. For a while he worked but no one remembers when he apparently now stopped completely. To reach the room that houses the clock mechanism requires a "climbing" approximately 20m seemingly shaky stairs. The way it was manufactured, the parts and components manufactured probably in a workshop of "hardware" is reminiscent of century tower clocks. XVIII. Like other churches and the outer fortress wall is painted a solar clock which is also mentioned in chronicles of the church.

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