Archaeology - ROMANIA
Project Information for Volunter Archaeology in Romania - Fortified Saxon Churches

Archaeological Volunteering Projects for Fortified Saxon Churches

The Saxons have played an important role in the history and development of Transylvania. They have left their mark on the cultural face of the countryside as well as numerous physical marks in the form of the fortified churches. Just as the Great Wall is important to China or Stonehenge is important to England, the fortified Saxon churches are important to Romania, and specifically to Transylvania. They represent history, culture and folklore. With most of Romania's Saxons having left the country it is important to those left behind, Saxons and Romanians alike, as well as to the Saxons who are now in Germany, to be aware of and preserve this history. The fortified churches represent not only a record of the history and culture of the Saxons of Transylvania, but also record local folklore, and are examples of Saxon architecture and art. It is very important now, in a time when significant numbers of Saxons have already left Romania, and those remaining are mostly elderly, to preserve the churches before it is too late.

In fact, recognizing their importance, several fortified Saxon churches have already been given Heritage site status by UNESCO. And other organizations, including one sponsored by the Prince of Wales, are working to preserve the remaining churches.

Overview of General Problems Faced by Saxon Churches

While every individual church faces its own specific problems, there are some generalisations that can be made about the difficulties that the Saxon churches face. These problems include lack of money and interest, as well as the passage of time and nature.

First and foremost is a lack of money. But why is money lacking? After the 1989 revolution, Saxons left Romania in droves. Therefore, in many communities there are no, or almost no, Saxons left. As Saxons are the only people who have historically used the churches, they are the only people who have invested their money in the upkeep and maintenance of the churches. So no Saxons, no money.

Even in communities where there are Saxons left, they tend to be farmers with very little excess money to spend on renovating these monuments. Speaking generally, the money these small Saxon communities have donated in recent years has been spent on superficial maintenance of a small portion of the church. Occasionally communities manage to raise enough money for a major renovation but usually only enough for one major aspect of renovation, such as an overall paint job, or repairs to the ceiling.

Also acting as an obstacle to the maintenance and renovation of the churches is lack of interest by non-Saxons. For example, the government, whether the local, regional or national, do not have any interest in preserving the churches.

Without any effort made to take care of the churches, time and nature are working their destructive force on the foundations, walls and towers of the churches. Overgrown vegetation is not only unsightly, but works its way into the plaster and bricks and creates gaps, cracks and generally makes the walls and foundations of the churches unsafe. Water damage, both from soil seepage and rain, is also creating many problems for the churches.

Physical Condition of Saxon Churches

The physical condition of the churches visited by the Projects Abroad volunteers ranges from excellent (for example Vulcan) to very, very poor (as with Bod and Bunesti). Those churches in good condition, including Vulcan and Homorod, have been recently renovated in one way or another. Typical renovations are new paintwork for the walls and ceilings, or re-plastering of the external walls. Most churches fall somewhere in between the two extremes of physical condition. The typical Saxon churches in the Brasov area are primarily plagued by damaged ceilings, wood rot in the floorboards and pews, cracked walls and arches, and varying degrees of damage to the church towers.

Most of the churches visited by the Projects Abroad volunteers were originally built in the 13th and 14th centuries. However, very little of these original structures are left. What remains tends to be the church foundations or parts of the tower base (as in Bod) or pieces of the original fortifying walls (as seen in Cincu and Toarcla).

From the outside of the churches the most visible signs of damage are crumbling fortifying walls (for example Crit), cracks of varying sizes in the walls of the churches and water and vegetation damage to the plaster. Bunesti, Mesendorf, and Crit are all damaged due to overgrown vegetation making its way into the plaster at the church's bases. Also visible from the outside is the damage to the towers. Several of the towers have large cracks running their length (including Toarcla, Buneti and Crit). The inside of the towers are usually dirty from dust and bird droppings, and the wooden ladder works are sometimes rotted and in need of shoring up.

From the inside the most common forms of damage are rotting wood in the floorboards (as in Cincu and Mesendorf) and in the pews (as in Toarcla, Homorod and Bunesti). The most damaged areas are very unstable and cannot hold any amount of human weight. Also common within the churches are water damage to the paint and ceilings (damage to Bod's ceilings are particularly bad). However, the most visible signs of damage tend to be the cracks in the walls, and more particularly any arches in the churches. Of all the churches visited, Bod features the most cracks, some of them serious, in all its window arches and entry arches.

Although not strictly speaking a form of damage, many of the churches are also cluttered with debris and litter of both the human variety (garbage, tools, remains of rotted pews, etc.) and natural (bird droppings, fly colonies, accumulations of fallen leaves and tree branches, etc.).

Not as visible is the usually extensive and extreme damage to side rooms, or storage areas unused by any remaining parishioners. No effort has been made in many years to maintain these rooms and so they tend to be the most cracked, the most water damaged and the most cluttered with litter and debris. While some of these areas are located outside the main church structure, some are connected to the church and others are inside the church and pose a threat to the main church structure.

Organizations Already Involved

There are currently at least three organizations working in the Transylvania region to preserve the fortified Saxon churches. These are The Mihai Eminescu Trust, the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, and Projects Abroad.

Founded in 1987 the Mihai Eminescu Trust is "dedicated to the conservation and regeneration of villages and communes in Transylvania". In 2000 The Prince of Wales became a major sponsor of the Trust and has since visited conservation sites in Romania on several occasions. The Trust has several projects, one of which is the Fortified Saxon Church Project. Churches already renovated through this project include Apold, Biertan, Cisnadie, Floresti, Viscri and Cloasterf. The villages of Mesendorf, Bunesti, Crit, and Roades are currently a part of the Whole Village Project but conservation work in these villages has not included the Saxon churches. In addition to the actual conservation work being done, the Trust also offers locals training in conservation methods so they can help preserve their own heritage.

The UNESCO Heritage Centre recognizes sites of historical and cultural importance all over the world. In the Transylvania region of Romania, UNESCO has recognized seven villages as Heritage Sites. Though the churches are not specifically labelled Heritage Sites, they are a part of the reason the villages were given their Heritage status. These villages include Prejmer, Valea Vlilor, Viscri, Darjiu, Saschiz, Biertan, and Calnic.

Projects Abroad's archaeology division has been inspecting Saxon churches in Brasov County since 2002. Working in conjunction with the Brasov History Museum, Projects Abroad volunteers have compiled reports on several churches which include their history and current physical status.

Daily timetable:

07:00 Morning session begins
09:00 Breakfast
09:30 Work continues
14:00 Lunch
15:30 Afternoon session begins
18:00 Work finishes
On Saturdays the digging is done until 2 PM and Sunday is free.