Normally the settlements developed from small to large ones, from villages to towns or capitals. The village of Cristian went in the opposite direction towards the present. If in 1367 it was known as Villa Cristiani and in 1377 as Nova Civitas, it is presently the center of the commune. Once surrounded by the vast forests of the Bârsa Land, Noscht, Neustadt or Keresztenyfalu, as it is known, must have been visited in the first half of the 14^th century by the Cistercian monks who had settled in Transylvania from the beginning of the 13^th century.  Because only this would explain the small amount of Romanesque and Gothic elements of the church devoted to Saint Nicholas: the western portal, a small rose window and a few keystones. The lunette of the portal is framed by Romanesque semicircular archivolts, some of the capitals being decorated with oak leafs. The rose window is decorated with four lobe moldings which are specific to the construction site of Cârța. The keystones on which appear Jesus, Agnus Dei (The Lamb of God) and a cherry blossom resemble the ones from the church in Bartolomeu, Brașov. These fragments were incorporated into the new hall – church rebuilt in the first half of the 19^th century. If the old basilica had three naves separated by pillars, the actual building has a cross-ribbed vaulted pentagonal choir which is separated from the nave by a high chancel arch. Another piece from the old church which was kept behind the altar is the tomb of the priestess Anna May, dated 1631, on which was carved the Lamb with the labarum (the monogram of Christ which was represented on the banner of Constantine the Great).

The belfry is flanked by three towers with three spiral staircases facilitating the access to the loft from the second level of the tower. At the beginning of the 20^th century another level was added and therefore the wooden gallery roof was demolished in favor of a tin roof flanked by four towers.

The fortification was built at the middle of the 20^th century. The curtain walls were reinforced with lower walls and strengthened with eight towers that have different plans. With their levels separated by wooden floors, the towers end at the top with crenels and loopholes protruding from the consoles. The semicircular towers have oblique roofs and the square section ones have hipped roofs with metal wind flags on top. The towers were linked by a wall – passage. The belt of lower curtain walls started from the gate tower provided with a portcullis which delimitated a Zwinger. In the 17^th century to the entrance bastion of the outer precinct was annexed a pentagonal tower on which the following text was written: Ist angefragen in Gottes namen das werk in 1654. The text speaks about the year when the tower was built in the name of Lord.

Like in many other Saxon fortifications, storage rooms were annexed to the precinct walls; later, in the 19^th century they were demolished together with the wall-passage.