We’re following the trail of Fortified Churches just like islands in the stream. Actually, we’re following them within reason. There are so many that aren’t on the UNESCO World Heritage list but are still really quite beautiful.
Knowing we are susceptible and don’t want to succumb to our tendency to go down the rabbit hole, when we came to a fork in the road that bore a brown heritage sign that said Dumbraveni, Armenian fortified church, make a hard left turn…we did. Parked roadside we found a handwritten note on the impressive church’s door that said the old man up the street has the key.
He wasn’t home, which happens frequently. It’s hard to pass up a chance to see the Armenian priest Avedik Likac’s mummified heart from 1896, forgotten but found in the church recently, and maybe we might learn why in 1371 a lot of Armenians showed up here. Still, there’s no denying this is a powerful Baroque structure.
You’ll know it’s time to go when the local kids do a high speed drive by.
Back in Escape Velocity we were hot on the trail of the Biertan fortified church which is on the UNESCO world heritage list. Surrounded by vineyards this 15th century Transylvanian Saxon church is encircled by three tiers of 35 foot tall defensive walls, connected by towers and gates, said to make its defenses, in medieval times, impossible to breach.
Our parkup, on a dirt alley, is in the shadow of those defensive walls. I’m waiting for the local kids to buzz by us with their horse carts.
By evening a local man invited us to a better parkup on his property. We were humbled by his kindness to total strangers, and he even asked us to help him eat some of his mirabella plums which coincidentally are a specialty of Loraine, France, where my people are originally from.
A look out the back window
Another blistering Transylvanian day greeted us in the morning. We haven’t a clue how to get up to the church through the massive fortified bit. You can clearly see the three terraced defensive walls.
True to our moniker, we Escapees found a way and up another covered staircase. It seems to be a trend. We were grateful for the shade.
We had just reached the courtyard when suddenly the church began to vibrate with the unmistakable opening chords of an old pipe organ. We ducked into the church through its elaborately carved door to find a small audience ready for a concert.
Short but enjoyable, the crowd left as one with the last note still echoing off the stone walls, leaving us free to explore this 15th century church virtually on our own.
This alter piece had panels that flip around to different saints or holidays depending on what would be more appropriate, just like Vanna White had to do on Wheel of Fortune. I’m sure Vanna flipped her panels with more sincerity, style, and grace than anyone else could possibly do.
Turns out, in a strange quirk of fate, the Biertan Church contains a Sacristy door with a 19-point deadlock system that just might be more famous than the church. It won first prize at the 1900 Paris World Expo.
Ok, funseekers we’ve found an oddity just for you Escapees known as Vowel Reconciliation Prison.
Let’s say you want a divorce. You go to your Bishop and say, “I want a divorce.” He’s going to say first you’re going to spend up to six weeks behind iron bars, locked in a tower room with your unbeloved where you will learn to iron out your issues while sharing one spoon, one cup, one fork, one bowl, one chair, and one bed.
I’m thinking these are probably inspirational frescos.
No magnetometers in the 15th century either.
No record of deaths but remarkably successful with only one couple proceeding to divorce in 300 years! It’s going to take a while to get that image out of my brain. On that happy note we start back down.
Well, dear Escapees, it looks like we are embarking on another grand quest. These Fortified churches are addictive.