Cosmin I Ignat

Sașii au plecat înainte, dar mai ales după anul 1989. Mulți se reîntorc, în special în sezonul cald, pentru a-și vizita locurile natale, a-și întâlni foștii vecini etc. În afara acestor vizite, sunt alături de monumentele ridicate de străbuni, unii donând periodic bani pentru întreținerea acestora dar și a cimitirelor săsești din localități. Dar alții nu mai fac deja demult asta. Pentru că nu se mai regăsesc în Transilvania. Aceștia din urmă au plecat foarte tineri din România și nu se mai identifică cu aceste meleaguri. Au deja copii născuți în Germania, iar aceștia nu vorbesc limba română și nici măcar săsească, ci limba germană. Chiar dacă fondurile donate de sași erau, de cele mai multe ori, insuficiente pentru reparațiile necesare bisericilor reprezentau, totuși, un sprijin important pentru cei rămași aici. Printre organizațiile care desfășoară activități în domeniul conservării monumentelor, cea mai activă și eficientă pare a fi Fundația Biserici Fortificate, patronată de Președintele României și Președintele Republicii Federale Germania. Saxons left the country also before, but especially after 1989. Many of them return on a regular basis, mainly during the summer time, to visit their homeland and meet their former neighbors. Apart from these visits, some of them take care of the monuments built by their ancestors and of their cemeteries, regularly donating money for their maintenance. Others no longer do this as they do not feel like home in Transylvania. The latter are the ones who left Romania at an early age and do not feel a connection to these lands. They already have children who were born in Germany, who do not speak Romanian or Transylvanian Saxon, but German. Although the funds they used to donate were not sufficient for restoring the churches, they were, nevertheless, a consistent support. The subject we propose is based on many years of field research, as well as research in archives and libraries. If last year we analyzed the Saxon fortified ecclesiastical monuments from historical, architectural and archaeological points of view, as well as that of their Patron Saints and their cemeteries, we now focus on the current state of these churches, on what has been achieved so far, also proposing some new preservation directions. Among the organizations developing activities in this area, the most effective and efficient seems to be the Fortified Churches Foundation, patronized by the Romanian President and the President of the Federal Republic of Germany. Although the activity of the above mentioned foundation is intense, we consider that the limited human resource is the factor that especially makes it impossible to solve all the problems that these churches face. The primary problem is, of course, the almost complete extinguishment of the Saxon communities. These observations are, of course, not made for the first time here. These problems are partially known to the representatives of the C.A. Evangelical Church of Romania as well, but things are progressing extremely slowly. This fact leads to the constant and fast degradation of the heritage they administer. Romanian legislation, on the other hand, does not allow for the involvement of the state institutions in solving such problems. The proposal mentioned in the title of this article is related to analyzing an ecclesiastical monument located in the Hârtibaciului basin, on the road connecting Agnita to Sighișoara, namely the fortified church from Netuș, a village in the Sibiu County. There are numerous ideas for using this fortified ensemble, some of them unique in the Romanian cultural space. Church services are no longer held there, but, as in the Middle Ages, the purpose of the building can also include: organizing meetings of the community, appropriate concerts etc. In accordance with our times, there can also be organized exhibitions, traditional craftsmanship workshops and archaeological works. Various programs can be developed together with cultural institutions and NGOs from our country and from abroad.

The investigation of the Romanesque monuments from Transylvania is captivating. In almost every village from the south of the province, the agile eye of a researcher can discover old traces of the past, belonging to the 12th – 13th centuries. The architectural research, however, must be accompanied by other studies and we can name here the archeological ones. Many historians who have not especially dealt with this kind of monuments were tempted to declare that there are not any new aspects to be written on this subject, given the fact that the topic has already been debated over more than a century, especially by German and Hungarian historians. But we maintain our opinion, expressed on several occasions, that the approaches of these architectural monuments can be numerous and can enrich the information concerning them.

Sașii au plecat înainte, dar mai ales după anul 1989. Mulți se reîntorc, în special în sezonul cald, pentru a-și vizita locurile natale, a-și întâlni foștii vecini etc. În afara acestor vizite, sunt alături de monumentele ridicate de străbuni, unii donând periodic bani pentru întreținerea acestora dar și a cimitirelor săsești din localități. Dar alții nu mai fac deja demult asta. Pentru că nu se mai regăsesc în Transilvania. Aceștia din urmă au plecat foarte tineri din România și nu se mai identifică cu aceste meleaguri. Au deja copii născuți în Germania, iar aceștia nu vorbesc limba română și nici măcar săsească, ci limba germană. Chiar dacă fondurile donate de sași erau, de cele mai multe ori, insuficiente pentru reparațiile necesare bisericilor reprezentau, totuși, un sprijin important pentru cei rămași aici.
Printre organizațiile care desfășoară activități în domeniul conservării monumentelor, cea mai activă și eficientă pare a fi Fundația Biserici Fortificate, patronată de Președintele României și Președintele Republicii Federale Germania.

Saxons left the country also before, but especially after 1989. Many of them return on a regular basis, mainly during the summer time, to visit their homeland and meet their former neighbors. Apart from these visits, some of them take care of the monuments built by their ancestors and of their cemeteries, regularly donating money for their maintenance. Others no longer do this as they do not feel like home in Transylvania. The latter are the ones who left Romania at an early age and do not feel a connection to these lands. They already have children who were born in Germany, who do not speak Romanian or Transylvanian Saxon, but German. Although the funds they used to donate were not sufficient for restoring the churches, they were, nevertheless, a consistent support.
The subject we propose is based on many years of field research, as well as research in archives and libraries. If last year we analyzed the Saxon fortified ecclesiastical monuments from historical, architectural and archaeological points of view, as well as that of their Patron Saints and their cemeteries, we now focus on the current state of these churches, on what has been achieved so far, also proposing some new preservation directions.
Among the organizations developing activities in this area, the most effective and efficient seems to be the Fortified Churches Foundation, patronized by the Romanian President and the President of the Federal Republic of Germany. Although the activity of the above mentioned foundation is intense, we consider that the limited human resource is the factor that especially makes it impossible to solve all the problems that these churches face. The primary problem is, of course, the almost complete extinguishment of the Saxon communities. These observations are, of course, not made for the first time here. These problems are partially known to the representatives of the C.A. Evangelical Church of Romania as well, but things are progressing extremely slowly. This fact leads to the constant and fast degradation of the heritage they administer. Romanian legislation, on the other hand, does not allow for the involvement of the state institutions in solving such problems.
The proposal mentioned in the title of this article is related to analyzing an ecclesiastical monument located in the Hârtibaciului basin, on the road connecting Agnita to Sighișoara, namely the fortified church from Netuș, a village in the Sibiu County. There are numerous ideas for using this fortified ensemble, some of them unique in the Romanian cultural space. Church services are no longer held there, but, as in the Middle Ages, the purpose of the building can also include: organizing meetings of the community, appropriate concerts etc. In accordance with our times, there can also be organized exhibitions, traditional craftsmanship workshops and archaeological works. Various programs can be developed together with cultural institutions and NGOs from our country and from abroad.

In the middle of 2017, the ASTRA National Museum Complex in Sibiu started a wide repertoire of the localities from the different ethnographic areas of Sibiu County: Hârtibaciului Valley, Olt Country, Mărginimea Sibiului, Secaşelor Country and Târnavelor Valley. The aim of this field research was the repertory of the craftsmen who are still carrying out their activity, the private workshops, the traditions and habits of the inhabitants, the culinary culture, etc. In the following lines, we will insist on the issues that seem to be more special in some localities, the information about the others being found in the research reports drawn up after the field research.

Vurpăr (Vurpód, Burgberg, Burprich, Heoholm)  este atestată în documente, pentru prima oară în 1296 sub denumirea de „villa Heoholm” când locuitorii din „Burgberg” au cumpărat de la nobilii din Călvasăr (Kaltwasser) un deal (Stieberg) pentru construirea unei cetăţi (Radeberg), deal pe care se mai văd încă şi astăzi urmele unor valuri de pământ. Dar, cu siguranţă, întemeierea ei e mai veche decât atestarea documentară, pentru că, spre sfârşitul secolului al XII-lea (1188-1191) când a fost înfiinţată Prepozitura din Sibiu, în componenţa ei intrau capitlurile Sibiu, Nocrich şi Cincu, iar între satele care intrau în structura capitlului Sibiului este şi Vurpărul.

Cea mai veche fotografie din arhiva familiei datează din anul 1900, reprezentând doi adulți (șoț și soție), cu doi copii. Dintre copii, personajul feminin este mama lui Michael (bunicul din partea mamei al autorului Raimar Bonfert) și al lui Gustav Gündisch. Șapte ani mai târziu de la realizarea fotografiei, se va naște în Cisnădie, Gustav Gündisch. Detalii din viața reputatului istoric sas, despre care știm că și-a efectuat studiile superioare la București, Berlin și Viena, sunt cunoscute, însă, credem noi, insuficient tratate în lucrări de specialitate.

Subiectul propus în rândurile care urmează este, la fel ca foarte multe subiecte din istoria evului mediu est-european, în general, și transilvănean, în particular, unul dificil de abordat. Ne bazăm această afirmație pe lipsa documentelor păstrate până în zilele noastre, dar și pe gradul, credem noi, redus, de investigare pe cale arheologică, acțiune care ar fi putut lămuri anumite perspective ale colonizării sașilor în Transilvania.

We start, through this study, the research of some architectural monuments which have not benefited at all of the well deserved attention. This buildings are located, in most of the cases, around the fortified churches belonging to the Saxons, and maybe this is the reason why this houses have not been an atraction for the researchers or tourists.
All the attention was captured by the fortified monuments, much older and, why not, more imposant. For the future, we believe that  it is necessary the implementation of a a research program, focused on the current situation of this parish houses and the on ways how they can be used taking into account various aspects as economical, cultural, touristic etc.

The investigation of the Romanesque monuments from Transylvania is
captivating. In almost every village from the south of the province, the agile eye of a researcher can discover old traces of the past, belonging to the 12th – 13th centuries. The architectural research, however, must be accompanied by other studies and we can name here the archeological ones. Many historians who have not especially dealt with this kind of monuments were tempted to declare that there are not any new aspects to be written on this subject, given the fact that the topic has already been debated over more than a century, especially by German and Hungarian historians.
But we maintain our opinion, expressed on several occasions, that the approaches of these architectural monuments can be numerous and can enrich the information concerning them.

Through this study we try to analyze Patrons of the Saxon churches from Hârtibaciu Basin. These ecclesiastical monuments benefited lately of some  studies regarding their history, architecture and, sporadically, archaeology. In these works is mentioned just random information about Patrons of the churches. We believe that an approach from this perspective would enrich the spectrum of research and will open new ways of analysis regarding the early stages of Saxon churches construction, the profile of the communities who build the churches, the places where the colonists came from (if we can find some analogies) etc.  We notice that a large number of churches from this area have the same Patron as the church from Sibiu, St. Mary. Most of them were built in the first stage of Saxon colonization, being built in the Romanesque style.

Through this study we try to analyze Patrons of the Saxon churches from Hârtibaciu Basin. These ecclesiastical monuments benefited lately of some  studies regarding their history, architecture and, sporadically, archaeology. In these works is mentioned just random information about Patrons of the churches. We believe that an approach from this perspective would enrich the spectrum of research and will open new ways of analysis regarding the early stages of Saxon churches construction, the profile of the communities who build the churches, the places where the colonists came from (if we can find some analogies) etc.  We notice that a large number of churches from this area have the same Patron as the church from Sibiu, St. Mary. Most of them were built in the first stage of Saxon colonization, being built in the Romanesque style.

Most of the fortified churches from south Transylvania, belonging to the Saxons were surrounded by graves. We can see also today cemeteries in the very proximity of the church, a good example being the one from Daia (a small village nearby Sibiu). În some other cases, by extending the cemetery, or simply, moving it, the cemetery can be seen to a short distance from the church. But we also have examples of cemeteries that are located in other places than the vecinity of the church. More probably, most of them are relocated in the recent times.
Saxon cemeteries are, in our oppinion, a real source of information additional of the historical researches. Almost all studies have focused, as normally, to the most representative treasures of Saxon culture: fortified churches. Lately, we noticed, an interes on the research in some old houses belonging to the Saxon comunity. But he Saxon cemeteries are, we believe, one of the most interesting field of study.

If in the past Guşteriţa was a small village, today it is a neighborhood of Sibiu. It still retains its medieval charm with unpaved streets, welcoming people and a quiet specify such settlements.
In the early 13th the Saxons century built here a Romanesque basilica; today only the pillars from the body square are kept, cross vaults of collateral, south apse and traces of north and south portals. At the end of the 15th century, the church is transformed into Gothic building.

This project, the study of the research’s progress, over time, of the fortified Saxon churches from Transylvania, is required because of the abundance of works for the tourists published in recent years. We will try, however, to speak especially about the scientific work that seem to be the best in the last century, and about some of the promotion materials of churches. It goes without saying that we do not claim to treat the subject exhaustively, but we intend to point out certain aspects that distinguish the pile of papers published over time. We therefore propose a classification of works as measured by the period of occurrence, knowing that historical research have a strong conection with the time when they were performed and with the type of (political) leadership able to treat a subject in a
greater or lesser extent. Nowadays, interest in the history of the Transylvanian Saxons increases significantly, we believe, due to the tourism development, but perhaps because of
awareness, that the immense artistic endowment is in danger of disappearing.

In 1967 the curches belonging to the Saxons, and not only, passed, at the request of the Cult Department, to an estate
inventory proces concerning every parish. The introduction consisted of a brief history of the town and curch. Later on,
they started to inventory the next: precious metal objects, objects with great history and documentary value, objects wich
have artistic and historic value, buildings and constructions owned by the parish, lands, wich are as well, owned by the
parish, common goods for inventory, as well books manuscripts and historical and literature documents.
The location of most objects is currently unknown, most of the things are missing, from the evanghelical parish possesions from Nou. We can only hope the their faith is one at their worth, and again, hopefully, are expose on the shelves
of a museum.

Saxon Churches have recently attracted a growing number of tourists. Perhaps this is due to the city of Sibiu (Hermannstadt) around which many of them are concentrated. Sibiu was elected in 2007 as the European Capital of Culture, which facilitated the knowledge by foreign tourists of the central area of Romania. Some of these tourists only came to visit Sibiu for a few days, but extended their visit to discover these invaluable treasures of Europe: Saxon fortified churches. There were some important visitors who simply loved this region. One of them was Prince Charles of Great Britain who visits the small
villages every year. He even bought some old German houses that were restored; his house in Viscri is a good example.