The church

Possibly the villagers of Ighisu Nou aimed at building a church that would surpass in beauty and size all its neighbouring counterparts. They started building the church from two ends, erecting the apse of the altar and the western tower at the same time. As is obvious even today, the two elements compete with each other in height and the nave itself was left to withstand the resulting tension.

Despite all of this, the church as a whole, manages to be elegant, harmonious and exudes a special something. Well preserved along the years, it fits pleasantly in with the surrounding scenery. Its mantle walls, the towers and especially the bastion give a fairly accurate impression of how the church was once fortified.

The fortification

The mantle wall was first built in 1515 and then raised in the 17th century. The circular bastion on the south-eastern corner dominates the soft slope of the hillock. The battlements on its last floor are masked by decorated pediments made of obliquely laid bricks, like the ones on the Potters' Tower in Sibiu.

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