Archida, or Arkeden as it is known in German, lies between Saschiz and Beia. First acknowledged in 1356 under the name of Ercud, its name may have been derived from its Hungarian name Erked or Ercho. The settlement itself was founded by Saxons around the year 1200. They must have reached this area after Hungarian colonists were relocated during the reign of King Geza II.

The church

The well-preserved, fortified church of Archita stands in the very centre of the commune. It has two mantle walls and seven of the original nine towers still stand. In the middle of the precinct was a 12th century Romanesque basilica with three naves and no tower. Around the year 1500, it was turned into a single-nave gothic church.

The fortification

The rectangular double-wall precinct, typical of the early 16th century, still preserves seven of its nine towers and the wall passages on the curtain walls. The inner wall used to have four towers on each of its corners, but its north-eastern one was demolished. Each tower had a separate access from the inside of the precinct, either through the wall passage or by a retractable ladder. The walls themselves are seven metres high and have a wall passage supported by wooden brackets, built four metres above the ground. The latter was preserved intact, but the battlements were walled up.

You can find more information about this church and many others on this CD dedicated to the fortified churches in Transylvania.