An important piece of work coming from Cincu is a 1653 chest that is now exhibited in the History Museum of "the Hârtibaciu Valley" in Agnita. It is decorated with heraldic symbols of the Cincu guilds, with craftsmen's tools, and with colourful portraits. The heraldic symbol of Cincu, depicting a buffalo's head with a star on its forehead, is marked on the cover of the chest.

The church

The church dedicated to The Virgin Mary is the largest Romanesque basilica ever to be found in a Saxon village. Another distinguishing aspect is its topographic positioning on a hill with steep slopes on three sides. This required the church to only need to be fortified on the western side.

Probably the most important piece of artwork inside the church is the altar which depicts Thomas the Apostle and is therefore named the Thomas Altar. The altar was painted by a great master painter from Sibiu and was bought by the Cincu community, although it was originally meant for the church of Moşna. In a scene depicting the shepherds' adoration of baby Jesus, the characters are represented in local traditional attire. Another interesting possession of the church is a small collection of rugs and carpets from Asia Minor.

The fortification

The mantle walls that used to surround the church have deteriorated over time; all that remains is a height of two metres on three sides, with a shorter wall on the western side. There also used to be five outer towers, oriented towards the northwest, north, east, southeast, and south. Today, the only one left standing is the southern one. In the 19th century, after the 1789 fire had destroyed the Lard Tower, the careful townsfolk built storage rooms inside the precinct to make up for its loss.

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