Harman Fortified Church

The church is thought to have been built by the Cistercian monks, an obscure order of Roman Catholics originating in France, who were severe in their beliefs in reformism and simplicity (they’re now affiliated with the Benedictines and Trappist monks). The sect gained popularity in Hungary, and considering the Austro-Hungarian Empire’s presence in Transylvania, explains how they ended up here. The Cistercian monks didn’t last long, and the church was taken over by Saxons and fortified. Like Prejmer, the walls also have chambers in which residents could take refuge. Unfortunately, this fortified church wasn’t able to fend off invaders as well as Prejmer, and fell under siege 47 times!

The Prejmer Fortress

The fortress in Prejmer is definitely the most impressive fortified church in Transylvania. The church was built by the Teutonic knights in the 13th Century and then the local community of Saxons built the wall for protection. What’s really interesting about this fortified church is that within the walls there are 272 chambers, and each one is numbered exactly as the houses in the village. They did this so that each household would have a place to store supplies in case they were attacked. Behind the chambers there is a passageway that goes along the perimeter of the wall, where guards were stationed to toss arrows or boiling oil at the attackers. We can actually go into the chambers and walk along the guard’s passageway, and I’ll tell you all the stories. Prejmer’s fortress is so amazing it’s been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.