Fortified Church of the Holy Spirit – Sânzieni (Kézdiszentlélek)
Standing in the valley of the Cașin (Kászon) stream at the foot of Perkő Hill, the Roman Catholic church of Sânzieni (Kézdiszentlélek) is one of the largest Gothic churches of the historic Háromszék region. Its defensive wall, with corner towers and pointed projections, is unique in Székely Land.
The papal tithe register of 1332 already lists the parish as independent, and the village takes its name from its church dedicated to the Holy Spirit. The present Gothic church was built in the second half of the 15th century on the site of an earlier Romanesque one. A Latin inscription on its west gable records the key dates of its history: according to it, the church was erected in 1401, rebuilt in 1622 and later renovated several times.
In the 18th century it was remodelled in several stages: the medieval tower was raised in 1713, the organ gallery was built in 1736, and at the end of the century the interior was given a Baroque appearance and the Gothic vault was demolished. In 1988 the 38-metre-long church was extended with a transept. Gothic windows with trefoil tracery survive in the south wall of the nave, while the sanctuary keeps a late Gothic sacrament niche and a trefoil-arched sacristy door.
The nine-sided defensive wall around the church is broken on its north, east and south sides by pointed projections, with low round bastions at its four corners and the entrance beneath a square gate tower. On the summit of the 719-metre Perkő Hill above the village, on the site of the former castle of Szentlélek, stands the quatrefoil, clover-leaf-shaped Chapel of St Stephen with its bell tower. Some scholars date it to the Middle Ages, others to the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries.
Pilgrimage feast: by old custom, the feast of the church, dedicated to the Holy Spirit, is held on the second day of Pentecost, Whit Monday. On 20 August, the feast of King St Stephen, the Catholic faithful of the surrounding villages make a pilgrimage up to the chapel on Perkő Hill.
Visiting: Sânzieni lies about 5 kilometres north of Târgu Secuiesc (Kézdivásárhely); the fortified church stands on a gentle rise at the foot of Perkő Hill. A pilgrims' footpath leads from the village to the chapel, where a carved Székely gate has welcomed pilgrims since 2007; the summit offers views over the whole Háromszék Basin.
Sources: Wikipedia · Archdiocese of Alba Iulia – Kézdiszentlélek parish · Wikipedia – Perkő · Wikipedia – Kézdiszentlélek (Sânzieni)
Photo: Țetcu Mircea Rareș / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Photo: Szabo Ervin-Edward / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Town:
Sânzieni (Kézdiszentlélek)
