Archita Fortified Church

The fortified church complex stands in the centre of the village of Archita, Vânători commune, between Saschiz and Beia in the south-east of Mureș County. The church is surrounded by a double enclosure: the rectangular outer wall, about seven metres high, still has towers on three corners, and in front of it a gate tower leads into the outer ward, with a wall walk carried on wooden brackets. It began as a Romanesque pillared basilica with a polygonal chancel, from the second half of the thirteenth century, with a massive tower on the west side. In the fourteenth century the church was remodelled in Gothic style; the triumphal arch and the chancel vault date from this period. Between 1504 and 1508 the side aisles were demolished and the arcades walled up, which can still be seen on the north side; the nave received buttresses linked by arches, and a defensive storey was built above the chancel. The outer wall dates from the late fifteenth century, and the tower at the fourth corner was pulled down in 1661. After a fire that struck the village in 1748, the church received its present roof and vault. The south-west tower is the only one that still has a wooden defensive storey; beside it stands the old town hall. The furnishings are Baroque and date from after the fire: the altar of 1752 and the pulpit of 1761 are the work of master Philippi of Sighișoara, and the organ of 1824 was built by Samuel Maetz. The fortified church complex is a historic monument with LMI code MS-II-a-A-15596 (the church, MS-II-m-A-15596.01, and the double fortified enclosure with its towers, MS-II-m-A-15596.02). In 2011 restoration work was carried out at the church with support from the Maria Nobrega Foundation.