Richiș Fortified Church

Richiș Fortified Church stands in the village of Richiș, Biertan commune, in a side valley south of the Târnava Mare, about 6 kilometres from Biertan and about 19 kilometres south of Mediaș. The complex comprises the Lutheran church, a fragment of the fortified enclosure with a tower and a gate tower, and the parish house. The village is recorded in 1283 as "villa Rihuini", in a document about the tithes of the parishes around Mediaș. The church was built in the second half of the 14th century as a towerless Gothic basilica with three aisles and two side choirs; the nave and main choir rise above the side aisles. The year 1451 marks the end of the main building phase. Around 1500 the side choirs were remodelled and a sacristy was added, and between 1500 and 1525 the church was surrounded by a fortified enclosure, only part of which survives. The small roof turret dates from 1847. In 1957, at the initiative of the priest of the time, villagers removed the old layers of whitewash from the walls and uncovered the carved decoration again. The interior keeps rich stone carving on keystones, capitals and window tracery, some with traces of paint, including several Green Man heads. The keystones of the main choir show Christ and a pelican, a symbol of Christ's sacrifice, and the choir has a Gothic sacrament niche and fragments of frescoes. The south portal dates from around 1405, and the west portal has a tympanum showing the Crucifixion. The sacristy door of 1516 resembles the one at Biertan and also has an elaborate locking mechanism. The baroque altar showing the Crucifixion was made in 1775 by the sculptor and painter Johann Folbarth of Sighișoara, and the organ was built in 1788 by Daniel Prause. The west gate tower, now used as the bell tower, still shows the portcullis groove and loopholes. In the churchyard is the gravestone of the composer Georg Meyndt (1852-1903), who wrote songs in the Saxon dialect. The complex is a listed historic monument (LMI code SB-II-a-A-12522: church SB-II-m-A-12522.01, enclosure SB-II-m-A-12522.02, parish house SB-II-m-A-12522.03). The church has no fixed opening hours; visits are arranged in advance with the caretakers.