Franciscan Church and Friary – Esztelnek
Members of the order founded by Saint Francis in 1209 (the Lesser Brothers Order) arrived in Transylvania between 1240 and 1250 via Germany and Hungary; they first settled in Beszterce, Nagyvárad and Székelyváros (Marosvásárhely). The first Franciscan monk arrived Esztelnekin 1677; at that time the Saint George Chapel was already standing in the Esztelnek upper part of the monastery, and a wooden monastery was built next to it. On October 1, 1690, the blessing of this monastery took place. The church next to the monastery was built between 1710 and 1729 using elements from the old St. George Chapel – it is likely that this became the temple of the church. Construction of the stone monastery was completed in 1750. The old monastery, in its original form, is now remembered only by the double choir, the cabinet built into the wall there, the ornate cabinet of the choir, and the less spectacular walls of the eastern wing, as well as the carved beam attesting to the year of the monastery’s foundation.
Town:
Esztelnek