The current name of the settlement is of Hungarian origin, Föld-Vár, meaning "earth rampart”, but it has not always been called this. The German name is Marienburg, meaning the city of Mary. The Virgin Mary was the patron of the Teutonic Order who first instated the stronghold of Feldioara.

Teutonic stronghold



After the departure of the Knights, one of the strongholds referred to in the document bore the name of Castrum Sanctae Mariae. It stood on top of the Feldioara hill and was surrounded on three sides by the Homorod River.

Peasant's stronghold



The present fortress bears little visible trace of the Teutonic construction. The towers and the curtain walls that connected them were most likely built by the Saxon community that was left behind after the Knights’ expulsion. The exact period they were built in cannot be pinpointed. What is certain is that, after the Tatar invasion, strongholds started to appear everywhere. As Feldioara had also gone through fire and brimstone, the villagers rebuilt an oval precinct, accessed from the south, with mantle walls that followed the configuration of the terrain. Of the several defensive towers only the western tower was preserved.

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