Biserica Neagră

Coordinates: 45°38′28″N 25°35′17″E / 45.64101°N 25.58803°E / 45.64101; 25.58803
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the cathedral in Romania. For the collection of ethnic congregations, see Black church.
The Black Church of Romania
Biserica Neagră din Brașov
Die Schwarze Kirche (
Style
Late Gothic
Groundbreaking1383
Completed1476
Administration
ProvinceTransylvania

The Black Church (

Evangelical Church of Augustan Confession in Romania
.

Author Judit Petki contends that, contrary to a widely held view, the Black Church received its dark appearance as a result of the fire which affected much of the city in 1689, but only in recent times due to pollution.[1] The current popular name is apparently a 19th-century creation.[2]

The cathedral, a working church, is the main city landmark of historical Brașov, and a museum is open to visitors.

Name

Petki calls the view that the Black Church got its name because it was sooted by the 1689 Brașov fire, a misconception. She bases her view on 21st-century studies, which have found no evidence of fire destruction; the church has blackened simply because of environmental pollution after Brașov has turned into an industrial city in the 19th century.[1] Furthermore, the name "Black Church" was not used until the end of the 19th century.[2]

History

Construction

The originally

Roman Catholic structure was known as the Church of Saint Mary, replacing an older building used for the same purpose.[3] Construction on it began during the late 14th century, at an unknown date — analysis of related evidence has led several researchers to conclude that work began between 1383 and 1385,[4] employing Bulgarian workers and craftsmen who proceeded to establish the Brașov Bulgarian colony in Șcheii Brașovului.[5][6] According to popular legend, a German child was disturbing the Bulgarian builders or told them that one of the walls was leaning. An annoyed Bulgarian pushed the child off the church tower and then immured his corpse in the church to conceal his crime.[7]

It is known that, in its first stages, the building was serviced by a priest named Thomas (died 1410), whose grave is located in the choir area.[8] Work on the fortifications in the surrounding area probably began at the same time as work on the church, leading in time to the completion of Brașov's third citadel.[9]

Its chancel originally featured a single column, but its role in supporting the entire central structure — on the model of German cathedrals built by Hans Stettheimer (a view expressed by researchers such as Ernst Kühlbrandt and Antal Hekler) is under dispute.[10] The nave and aisles took longer to complete, and construction was interrupted for various intervals: in 1423, Pope Martin V issued an indulgence for people involved in construction, as a means to reactivate the site; in 1474, a document issued by Sixtus IV acknowledged that work was still lagging.[11]

Several octagonal pillars, redesigned at least once during the building process, were probably completed around 1444.

Matthias Corvinus, was completed in 1476.[14] The vestry was enlarged at some point between 1500 and 1515.[15]

The Black Church in summer

Style and shape in historical context

Completed during the 15th century (soon after 1476), the church belongs to the final stages of Gothic architecture.

Dominikánsky kostol in Košice.[18] The design was itself an inspiration for other religious buildings in the region, and it is possible that a stonemason originally employed on the site later worked on the church in Ghimbav.[19]

Reformation

The Catholic services were replaced with Lutheran ones during the

Protestant Reformation, coinciding with the influence exercised by Johannes Honter (1498–1549). His statue of the reformer was erected by Harro Magnussen (1861–1908) on the southern side of the building. It was long thought that the church had been partially destroyed during a great fire set by invading Habsburg forces on 21 April 1689 (during the Great Turkish War),[20] but this theory has been proven wrong.[1]

Later work

A large part of the inner structure was modified during the 18th century, breaking with the original design.[10]

The explanation that the church had to be repaired following the fire of 1689 has been discarded,

Baroque style.[citation needed][clarification needed
]

Restoration

From the years, 1937 and 2000, the Black Church was restored and the intellectual elite of the Transylvanian Saxons were able to carry out a substantial program of restoration of this portion of their historic heritage despite unfavorable political contexts. By doing so, they were able to preserve the forms of solidarity that were unique to their community and complete the work.

Features

Entrance to the Black Church

Size

The Black Church is 89 meters long and 38 meters wide.[21] It measures 21 meters from the floor level to the top of its walls, 42 meters to the ridge of the roof,[22] and 65 meters to the highest point of its only bell tower.[21]

Sculpture

Much of the outside structure was built in friable grit, which caused outer sculptures and masonry elements to deteriorate with time.[4] The oldest features surviving include several sculptures, arches, simpler masonry patterns such as trilobes, as well as numerous portals, while the crowning is imitation Gothic dating from the 18th century.[11]

The oldest sculpture appears to be the almost completely deteriorated bust of

city hall
and stands above the coat of arms of Kronstadt (Brașov), as the Virgin Mary is the patron of the city.

The twelve statues seen today on the choir buttresses are copies created by local artists and placed there in 1937–1944, when the badly weathered 15th-century originals were moved inside the church, where they are still on display.[26] The copies are themselves seriously affected by the intensifying air pollution, five of them having been restored between 2018 and the summer of 2021.[26]

Murals

A partly destroyed

Matthias Corvinus and his wife Beatrice.[27] It shows the Nativity, together with depictions of Saint Catherine and Saint Barbara.[27] Unlike the inner Annunciation mural, which is late Gothic, the outside painting is heavily influenced by the Renaissance.[27]

Bell, organ, carpets, valuable items

The Black Church has three bells, the largest weighing 6.3

Transylvanian Saxon merchants, some have been used to decorate walls as well as floors after the Reformation.[21]

The church also features a

chalices (both dated around 1504) and several brocade chasubles (created between in the late 15th and mid-16th centuries).[28]

Gallery

  • Brașov, Black Church in the background
    Brașov, Black Church in the background
  • The church and its surroundings
    The church and its surroundings
  • Council Square and the Black Church
    Council Square
    and the Black Church
  • Northern and western facades
    Northern and western facades
  • Southwest corner with bell tower
    Southwest corner with bell tower
  • Statue of Johannes Honter in front of the bell tower
    Statue of Johannes Honter in front of the bell tower
  • The southern clock face with the Four Evangelists
    The southern clock face with the Four Evangelists
  • Outside sculptures (southern part of the apse)
    Outside sculptures (southern part of the apse)
  • Mary and Jesus (outside sculpture)
    Mary and Jesus (outside sculpture)
  • Statue of St. Catherine on a buttress[26]
    Statue of St. Catherine on a buttress[26]
  • The "Golden Gate"
    The "Golden Gate"
  • Interior with rugs
    Interior with rugs

Activities

The church website is regularly updated.

A Lutheran service is held each Sunday for the small German community in the city.

The church contains a museum and is open to visitors. The Anatolian carpets, which together constitute the largest collection of "Transylvanian rugs", are preserved in their historical locations throughout the church.

The public can attend organ concerts, on a regular basis and as part of musical events.

See also

  • List of Gothic Cathedrals in Europe

References

  1. ^ a b c d Petki (2019)
  2. ^ a b Roth (2010)
  3. ^ Vătăşianu, p.69, 228–229
  4. ^ a b Vătășianu, p.228
  5. ^ Heltmann & Servatius (1993)
  6. ^ Miletich (1896), p. 16. Original text in German:
    "Den ersten Anfang des Anbanes [Anbaues?] dieser Vorstadt setzen alle Nachrichten, die ich finde, in die Zeit des 14 Seculi, in welchem die hiesige Stadkirche 1385 gebauet zu werden anfing. Da es nämlich bei diesem wichtigen Bau an genugsamen (genügsamen?) Handleuthen aus iler (?) Ursache (?) fehlte … waren die Kronstädter genöthigt, sich aus den benachbarten Provinzen Arbeitsleute kommen zu lassen. Auf diese Veranlassung kammen aus Bulgarien die von uns sogenannten Belger hieher, welche … an diesem Orte, welchen wir noch die Belgerey nennen, mit Vergünstigung des löblichen Magistrates sich wohnhaft niederzulassen." (Faulty transcription of German Text.)
  7. ^ a b Balkanski (1996)
  8. ^ Vătășianu, p.228-229, 322
  9. ^ Vătăşianu, p.285
  10. ^ a b c Vătășianu, p.229
  11. ^ a b Vătășianu, p.230
  12. ^ Vătăşianu, p.230-231
  13. ^ a b Vătășianu, p.231
  14. ^ Vătășianu, p.526
  15. ^ Vătăşianu, p.527
  16. ^ Vătășianu, p.228, 229, 230–231
  17. ^ Vătășianu, p.229-230, 231, 238, 526
  18. ^ Vătășianu, p.231, 237, 239
  19. ^ Vătășianu, p.237-238
  20. ^ Vătășianu, p.228, 526
  21. ^ a b c d e Ziegler & Ziegler (2019)
  22. ^ Kotzan (2013)
  23. ^ a b Vătășianu, p.322
  24. ^ Vătăşianu, p.322-325
  25. ^ Vătășianu, p.732
  26. ^ a b c SC Hidraulica SRL unterstützt die Restaurierung der Statue der Hl. Katharina, FB posting of the church's congregation (Honterusgemeinde - Schwarze Kirche), 17 August 2021.
  27. ^ a b c Vătășianu, p.763
  28. ^ Vătăşianu, p.853, 856, 876, 880–881

Bibliography

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Black Church.

45°38′28″N 25°35′17″E / 45.64101°N 25.58803°E / 45.64101; 25.58803

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