Miercurea Sibiului Fortified Church

The fortified Evangelical church stands in the town of Miercurea Sibiului (Reußmarkt in German), Sibiu County, on the north side of the central square. The town is first mentioned in records in 1290, as Ruhcmark. The Romanesque basilica with a slender west tower was built around 1260. From 1496 it was converted into a hall church by raising the side aisles; of the original building only the walls and the tower, now integrated into the roof, remain. In the roof space of the aisles the round Romanesque clerestory windows can still be seen, covered in 1783 when the nave was vaulted and the choir was extended eastwards. The enclosure wall with a gate tower was built between the 13th and 15th centuries on an oval plan. Storage rooms on several levels are built against its inner face, served by a wall walk with loopholes, machicolations and fortified oriels. The storage rooms have a projecting pitched roof that protected the villagers' grain chests, which are still on display. The church interior has Tuscan columns at the triumphal arch and along the walls, and the furnishings date from the 18th century. Major repairs were carried out between 1995 and 2005 with the participation of the Saxon community settled in Germany, and between 2014 and 2020 the church was restored through an EU-funded project. The complex is a listed historic monument, LMI code SB-II-a-A-12464, comprising the Evangelical church (SB-II-m-A-12464.01), the fortified enclosure with fortified entrance, storage rooms and annexes (SB-II-m-A-12464.02) and the Evangelical parish house (SB-II-m-A-12464.03). The Fortified Churches Foundation lists the Evangelical Parish of Apoldu de Sus as the contact for visits.