Harman Fortified Church

One of numerous fortified mediaeval structures in Transylvania is the fortified church in the village of Harman, which was constructed in the 13th century, about 10 km distance from the city of Brasov.

Harman Fortified Church is one of the 25 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Romania.

The church is one of the best-preserved fortresses used by the Saxon colonists centuries ago, when enemy invasions were a continuous threat, and is a must-see mediaeval monument.

Background of the church. The three-aisle Romanesque basilica was given a bell tower on its western side in 1290. It already included a defence wall to strengthen it. In Transylvania, the Saxon ethnic group has long roots. Probably around the middle of the 12th century, German Saxons first immigrated to Romania.

By the middle of the thirteenth century, they had reached southern Transylvania and had started to establish small settlements in the form of fortified churches.

Between the 13th and the 14th centuries, the church and the settlement were repeatedly invaded, which resulted in alterations to the architecture.

In along with the church, the complex has a tower/chapel that was constructed more than 1300 years ago, defensive walls, a bell tower, and a small ethnographic museum. The three walls that together make up the fortifications encircling the church, which were built in the 15th century, range in height from 4.5 to 12 metres. There is a common layout among all of the walled villages. The main focus of a basic church can be found in the centre. There is certainly evidence that a strong wall surrounds these churches. The main objective was to defend the neighbourhood against external assaults, most often coming from the Ottoman empire. These centres operated as thriving communities in along with locations of safety. You can locate religious structures inside. On the interior, people lived in modest houses and different kinds of buildings. The grassy space served as the primary courtyard where gatherings and other activities were held. Even schools were built inside the fortress's ground floor.

While the north chapel was rebuilt in the 15th century, the south chapel has been maintained in its original form. At each end of the chapel's stone-sculpted external vaults is a human face.

You are free to walk around the monastery's perimeter as the previous monks and guards did.

Main attractions:

• the church from 1240
• the tower-chapel from 1300 with murals from the 15th century
• collection of Anatolian carpets
• fortification with defense walls
• the bell tower
• chambers
• the ethnographic museum

Visiting schedule:

between April 1 and October 31: from Monday to Saturday between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., Sunday between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

between November 1 and March 31: daily, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m

A ticket is 3 EUR.
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