Downtown Reformed Church of Covasna

Franciscan monks, in the spirit of Saint Francis of Assisi, accept the entire created reality - including their brothers, sisters, and themselves - as a gift from God. For them, fraternal life is not a theory or ideology, but a way of living in which they learn to love, to sacrifice, to give, and to share what they have, never considering themselves superior to their fellow human beings. 🙏🤲 Members of the Order of Friars Minor (commonly called the Franciscans), founded by Saint Francis of Assisi in 1209, arrived in Transylvania via Germany and Hungary between 1240-1250, first settling in Banská Bystrica, Sibiu, and Târgu Mureș.  The first Franciscan monks arrived in Esztergom in 1677. In the upper part of the village of Estelnic, there was already a chapel dedicated to Saint George, next to which a wooden monastery was built. It was blessed on October 1st 1690. The church next to the monastery was constructed between 1710-1729, using elements from the old chapel - likely the sanctuary. The stone monastery was completed in 1750. ⛪  On the night of December 23rd 1921, the monastery and church were destroyed by fire. Almost everything was consumed by the flames. In 1926, a church-school was built on the site of the former monastery, where classes were held during the week and religious services took place on Sundays. ✏️ 🙏🏻 📿 Another tragic chapter in the life of the monastery - not just in Estelnic - occurred on the night of August 20th 1951, when the friars living there were deported to the monastery in Radna by order of the Romanian Communist Party. From the original monastery, only a few elements remain today: the double sacristy, a built-in wall cabinet, the ornamented sacristy cupboard, the less remarkable eastern wing walls, and the carved beam that confirms the monastery’s year of founding. We invite you to visit the Franciscan monastery in Estelnic! Brother Szilveszter (Sylvester) will be happy to tell you all about the recently renovated monastery, the church and their vocation. 📍 Please contact us in advance to arrange a visit. 📆 In addition to Estelnic, Franciscan monasteries can also be found in Transylvania in the fallowing cities or towns: Brașov, Șumuleu-Ciuc, Dej, Deva, Lăzarea, Căpleni, Cluj-Napoca, Sebeș, and Odorheiu Secuiesc.

⛪ The five-domed Orthodox cathedral is a symbolic monument of the Romanian community in Sfântu Gheorghe and Covasna County. Its construction started on 20 September 1939, the third week after the outbreak of World War II. Its murals praise the work of three men: Iosif Vasu, Marian George and Marcel Codrescu. In the basement of the cathedral you will find the Museum of Romanian Spirituality, where you can see a large collection of 19th century wood and glass icons. The museum also has a large collection of religious books.

Lying along the main road in Zăbala, the Fortified Reformed Church is easy to find. And it is worth visiting it.  The church is a characteristic relic of the 15th century Transylvanian late Gothic architectural style.  It is assumed that the building originates from the Árpád Age, and after the earthquake of 1473 it was rebuilt. This was the time when the sanctuary was extended, the walls of the nave were stilted and on the southern wall lancet windows were put. The first painted ceiling of the sanctuary was made in 1759, that of the nave in 1772, when the panels of the sanctuary were renovated, too. The illustrations of the nave are bigger, while those of the sanctuary are smaller, though all of them belong to one person and form a unified image. The patterns of the panels do not repeat, they are usually central, diagonal or double, and show flower bouquet patterns. The ornament of the nave ceiling is much more diverse than that of the sanctuary. There is only one panel of the ceiling that has got animal decoration. On this, the so-called “two-headed eagle” appears, under it we see snakes.    After the earthquake of 1977, in the southeastern part of the sanctuary a Gothic pastophorium occurred, and on the northern wall surface a late Gothic sacristy door appeared, which was carved from sandstone.   This church had important defense role for centuries. The wall that encloses the church was built probably in the 15th century and until the 18th century it had a moat around it. The wall, which once was about 8 m high, was torn down to this height in 1838. An appointment is required for the visit. Plus Code: V5RP+RX Zabola 

⛪ Visit the modest little Unitarian church, built between the 13th and 14th centuries. It came to the center of attention after a fire in 1954, which revealed medieval wall paintings on the bare walls. The restoration revealed that the interior of the church was decorated with frescoes of St. Ladislau. During the restoration, the church was given an ornate coffered ceiling by the architect, Béla Sütő Sr, a master furniture painter from Vârghiș. 📌 An appointment is required for the visit.

The church, built in the 17th century, is decorated with a coffered ceiling with floral motifs, and next to stands is the most graceful wooden belfry in the whole of Covasna County. From a distance, the building resembles a woman in a skirt. Its beautiful plinth of timber trusses, which supports the tower, is protected by a shingle-covered eave, above which is the bell housing, crowned by a roof, also covered with shingles, which protects the whole building. On the belfry is a bell with Renaissance decoration dating from 1773. The Szekler gates around the church are a masterpiece of folk carving and painting. In the cemetery garden you can also see an oak tree several hundred years old. The church is open during the day, in summer until 19:00 and in winter until 16:00.

The Reformed Church, designed by Imre Makovecz and built over the medieval church foundations, harmoniously combines the old and the new. Discover how centuries-old church remains unearthed here have been incorporated: the fragment of a carved window frame in one of the pointed-arched windows, the 11th-century altar rail under the communion table and the runic stone baptismal font. This runic monument dates back to the 15th century, the earliest language monument of the ancient Szekler literacy, the Szekler runic script! An appointment is required for the visit!

The fortified church stands on a hill in the valley of the Arcuș stream. The 13th-century church, rebuilt in the 16th century in Gothic style, had five corner towers and a bell tower; its ramparts date from the 17th century. Its south-east tower collapsed in the earthquakes of the 19th century and its bell tower was damaged. The old church was demolished in 1830 and replaced by a new one between 1830 and 1833. The present bell tower was built in 1844 and it contains one of the most beautiful sounding and heaviest (1 ton) bells in the whole of Covasna County. An appointment is required for the visit.

⛪️ Mărtineni, a village 12 km far from Târgu Secuiesc, is home to a landmark Reformed church built in the center of the village. The church has a single nave, the exact date of its construction is unknown. It is thought to have been built in the 15th century, with alterations in the 18th and 19th centuries. In 1754, the western part of the interior of the church was decorated with a coffered ceiling, the most valuable element of the church, next to its counterparts in the Carpathian Basin. The church coffers were painted by Molnár András, 7x9. In 1778 the church tower was repaired, and in 1815 the crowned pulpit was built. In 1824 the eastern part of the church was enlarged and in that year it took its present form. Another 60 baroque-style coffers were added to the church, making a total of 146 floral motif coffers in Mărtineni. Its image is very similar to the ceilings of the Reformed churches in Saciova and Moacșa. In 1824 the church organ was completed, a work of the master Petrus Gottlieb Schneider from Brasov. Unlike the typical Schneider organs, due to the small size of the rostrum, the instrument was made with a separate hose, which was placed in the church attic. In 1871 the tower was rebuilt and in 1903 the church was completely repaired and restored. On this occasion, a commemorative document and some metal coins of that time were placed in the star globe of the tower, which is still there today. In the period 2020-2021 conservation works were carried out on the church.     The church can be visited on Fridays and Saturdays from 8:00 to 20:00, but also at other times by prior arrangement.

On the Vârful Filtrului Hill, rising above Sânzieni, you can see the small four-foiled chapel in the distance, shouting the message of Christianity from afar. The chapel was built around 1680 by Sámuel Kálnoki in memory of King St Stephen. The thick plaster wall painting, discovered in 1995, shows St Stephen in the centre, St Ladislaus on the right and St Emeric on the left.  Many Catholics from the area come to Vârful Filtrului, the "Șumuleu of Covasna County" for the pilgrimage on St. Stephen's Day on 20 August.