Reformed Fortress Church – Târgu Mureș

Reformed Fortress Church – Târgu Mureș

The Reformed fortress church of Marosvásárhely is the oldest building in the city. It was built as the church of the medieval Franciscan friary and stands within the walls of the town citadel erected in the early 17th century.

The Franciscans first appear in the sources in 1316. The Gothic church was probably built in the last third of the 14th century, and in the mid-15th century – with the support of John Hunyadi – it was extended with a new nave and a north tower. According to dendrochronological analysis, the oak timbers of the sanctuary roof were felled in 1479–1480.

During the Reformation, in the mid-16th century, the church passed to the Reformed congregation. In the early 17th century, on the initiative of chief judge Tamás Borsos, the town citadel began to be built around the church; in 1616 Prince Gabriel Bethlen granted Marosvásárhely the rank of a free royal town and authorised the building of the walls. In the 18th century the church received a Baroque ceiling and stucco decoration.

Among the medieval murals, a scene of the martyrdom of St Leonard was uncovered in 1940, and during the most recent restoration fragments of the St Ladislaus legend also came to light on the north wall of the nave.

Visiting: the church stands within the Marosvásárhely citadel and, together with it, is one of the city's main sights; the Reformed parish provides information on opening hours.

Photo: lacihobo / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo: Losy / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 ro