The most beautiful religious buildings Transylvania & Carpathian Mountains

It is located in the heart of a district made up of elegant, quiet, tree-lined streets and beautiful homes. Founded by Dominicans in 1475, the monastery was abandoned a century later with the arrival of Protestantism. In the 18th century, Ursuline sisters settled there and transformed the place into a Catholic church and a school for girls. The complex has been restored, combining the Gothic architecture of the 15th century with the Baroque of the 18th century. Nationalized under communism, the church today hosts masses of the Greek-Catholic community.

This fortress-church, one of the most beautiful in Transylvania, was built between the 13th and 16th centuries by the Teutonic Knights and the Saxons. The main enclosure is circular, with walls 3 to 4 m thick! It comprises more than 270 cells, each of which belonged to a family from the village. Spread over 4 levels and connected by wooden stairs, they were used to store food. A parapet walk, 12 m high, allows you to walk around the structure. The Gothic church in the centre of the fortress dates from 1250.

A little gem! At the foot of the Făgăraș mountains, this immaculately white monastery was founded by the Wallachian prince Constantin Brâncoveanu (1688-1714). It resembles the Horezu monastery, but is of smaller dimensions. Demolished in the ^17th century, it was restored and enlarged in the ^20th century, in the purest Brâncovenesc style, and now houses a monastic community. The church boasts beautiful murals. Don't miss the museum, which features a valuable collection of icons on glass, as well as a variety of folk and religious art objects.

The Orthodox Cathedral is located in the centre of Piaţa Avram Iancu. This admirable building, built in ten years, between 1923 and 1933, is a perfect example of the marriage between the Romanian and Byzantine styles, particularly visible in the domes. Forty years after its construction, in 1973, the Diocese of Cluj was established as an archbishopric, with the Orthodox Cathedral remaining its property. In front of the building, the statue of Avram Iancu, one of the leaders of the 1848 revolution, was erected in 1993. Finally, the external façade was renovated between 1996 and 1999.

At the heart of Piaţa Unirii is one of the oldest religious buildings in Cluj and one of the most imposing Gothic buildings in the country. A place at the crossroads of styles, built between 1350 and 1480: its carved wooden pulpit is Baroque, its portal of the sacristy (1528) is Renaissance and its 80 m bell tower, erected between 1834 and 1863, is neo-Gothic. Also note its superb stained-glass windows, its wall paintings and its portal with the Archangel Michael, protector of the place.

It's one of the most beautiful and impressive in the country. The massive late Gothic church dates from 1516. The interior is sober. Note the earthenware fireplace decorated with blue flowers, as well as the sacristy door, with its lock featuring nineteen latches that close simultaneously! This remarkable ensemble served as a residence for Lutheran bishops in the ^16th and ^17th centuries. It has never been conquered, so impressive is its defensive system: three fortified enclosures 12 m high, with six towers and three bastions.

Dominating the town, the Church of the Hill(biserica din Deal) was built in the ^15th century in Gothic style, on the site of a ^13th-century Romanesque church. Its ^15th-century interior paintings are of great value, and its Romanesque crypt is unique in the region. The old German cemetery opposite is a moving and pleasant place to visit. The top of the hill is reached by a surprising covered wooden staircase, built in the ^17th century for the pupils of the school next to the church. At the time, it had 300 steps, compared with 175 after restoration in 1849.

With a roof with coloured motifs, it was erected in the 14th century on the site of a 12th century church. It is very representative of the Transylvanian Gothic style, with its three naves and transept. Inside, its 60 or so tombstones of local personalities, 15th century frescoes and its 6,000-pipe organ are remarkable. You can also climb the bell tower, which peaks at 73 m: after 192 steps, at a height of 55 m, the view is breathtaking.

It occupies an entire section of the Grande Place, along with the adjoining parish church. Built between 1726 and 1733, the richly decorated church is in the Viennese Baroque style. Masses are still held here in German, even though the Saxon community is now very small. The parish house once housed the Jesuit seminary. Above the tabernacle, the fresco of Mary and the Divine Child is a fine example of local Baroque painting. The patio houses the statue of the martyred Catholic priest Jean Népomucène, which was removed from the main square during the Communist era.

Less impressive than Prejmer, but interesting nonetheless. The fortifications were built between the ^15th and ^17th centuries by the local Saxons. Its 50-metre-high tower and seven square bastions give it a massive appearance. The round enclosure is made up of houses adjoining the church, which was originally Romanesque but has been remodeled in Gothic style. It contains interesting frescoes. The interior of the fortress is lined with small houses along the wall, in which the inhabitants took refuge during sieges.

Built between 1902 and 1906, the cathedral bears a certain resemblance to Saint Sophia in Istanbul. Its architects, Naghy and Konemer, were originally from Budapest. It is the seat of the Orthodox metropolis of Transylvania. Renovated and repainted in 1964, it is pleasantly luminous. Its beautiful murals, like those on the iconostasis, were painted by Octavian Smighelschi, a Hungarian from the village of Ludoș, not far from Sibiu.

In the heart of the Schei district, this wooden church built in 1292, rebuilt in stone in the 15th century and enlarged in the 18th, blends Gothic and Baroque styles. With its main tower and the four others flanked at the corners of the building, it looks like a castle! At the time, it played a very important cultural and religious role for the Romanian communities in the surrounding area. Inside, you will see beautiful icons, some of which date back to the 15th century.

This large edifice, on the banks of the Târnava Mare river, was built in 1937 in neo-Byzantine style. Another religious building of note in the lower town, located a little further west, between the river and the railway line (strada Ștefan cel Mare, 34): the Church of the Lepers(biserica Leproșilor, called Kirche am Siechhof in German). This small Gothic Lutheran church dates back to the 15th century and was the asylum church for lepers from the 16th to the 19th century. Today, it is used by the Greek-Catholic community.

Arriving in Brașov in the early ^19th century, the Jewish community built a synagogue here, completed in 1901. Concealed at the far end of a courtyard, this elegant building of red brick and white stone is in the neo-Moorish style. Its size reflects the importance of the community until the Second World War. The immaculately white interior walls are finely sculpted. The synagogue features interesting stained-glass windows, notably the geometric motifs above the entrance porch. It also houses a small memorial to the victims of the Holocaust.

The country's largest Gothic church, it was built between 1385 and 1447, alongside an earlier one destroyed by the Tatars. In the fire that ravaged the city in 1689, part of the church was destroyed and its walls turned black, hence its name. Restored, it has been remodeled many times. Its 4,000-pipe organ dates from 1839. The stained glass windows are superb, as are the 119 oriental carpets (15th-18th centuries), statues and paintings in the Italian Renaissance style. Concerts are held here on a regular basis; see the website.

It's one of the region's most beautiful and best-preserved churches. It dates back to the ^12th century, before the Saxons settled in the region. Rebuilt and enlarged by new German settlers in the ^13th century, it was fortified in the ^16th and ^17th centuries to protect it from Ottoman invasions. The surrounding walls house an interesting ethnographic exhibition on Saxon customs, with a rich collection of period objects and photos, documents, painted furniture, costumes, craftsmen's tools and more.

20 km east of Avrig, not far from the banks of the Olt river, the monastery of Cârța was built in the early ^13th century by Cistercian monks. Ravaged in 1241 by the Tatars, it was rebuilt, then abandoned in the ^15th century on the orders of King Mathias Corvin, in the face of the Ottoman threat. Only the choir of the abbey church (transformed in the ^18th century), the entrance tower and the ruins of the monastery itself remain of the complex, which is Gothic in style with Romanesque remains. Today, the abbey church is used by the Saxon Lutheran community.

This baroque church was built between 1776 and 1782 with the support of Empress Maria Theresa. It was built on the site of a 14th century church erected by the Dominicans, which was abandoned after the Lutheran Reformation. Inside, the walls are richly decorated with stucco. The stained-glass windows were made at the end of the 19th century in the workshop of the master József Palka in Budapest. It is the only building in the city that is entirely Baroque in style.

Before 1781, the Orthodox were not allowed to build places of worship within the city walls. At the end of the ^18th century, however, they were allowed to erect a discreet church without a steeple. Occupying two former Saxon houses, the Church of the Holy Trinity(Sfânta Treime), invisible from the street, is characterized by its rich ornamentation, beautiful icons and precious collection of religious objects. It was used by the Greek community.

In the ^19th century, Romanian Orthodox were not allowed to build overly visible religious edifices within the city walls. That's why the Church of the Assumption, built in 1896, is located in a courtyard behind the parish house: to reach it, you have to cross a long porch, which passes under the house. A faithful copy of the Greek church in Vienna, its frescoes and decorations are impressive. Major renovation work was carried out in 1972.