Santimbru Reformed Church

Santimbru Reformed Church, Transylvania

Santimbru, Alba county, Romania

authors:

Andreea Iosif / “Ion Mincu” University of Architecture and Urbanism, Bucharest
Calin Suteu / Gigapixel Art S.R.L.

Brief description of the monument:

Our model represent an historic monument from the 15th Century, located in Santimbru, Alba county, Romania and it is a good example of an old Transylvanian church. Originally, this was the church of a Roman-Catholic village community that after the middle of the 16th century adopted the Reformation. The current Gothic style replaced an earlier Romanesque phase, dating back to the second half of the 13th century and being dedicated to Saint Emeric.It was a relatively small church, with the same width as today and closed by a smaller, semicircular apse. The building material for the early construction was largely provided by the ruins of a nearby Roman villa rustica, including carved stones. This first edifice was destroyed in a battle with the Otoman Turks, in 1442.

Rebuilt after the battle by John Hunyadi (Ioan de Hunedoara) as a Late Gothic style church, it now served the Magyar community of the village. The tower is a later addition. The interior preserves few traces of 15th to 16th Century paintings, which can be seen here (copyright Universitatea 1 Decembrie 1918 din Alba Iulia 2017).