Prejmer fortified church
| Prejmer Fortified Church Biserica fortificată din Prejmer |
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| Basic information | |
| Location | Prejmer, Romania |
| Geographic coordinates | 45°43′19″N 25°46′24″E / 45.7220793°N 25.7734555°ECoordinates: 45°43′19″N 25°46′24″E / 45.7220793°N 25.7734555°E |
| Affiliation | Lutheran |
| Architectural description | |
| Architectural type | Fortified church |
| Architectural style | Romanesque |
| Groundbreaking | 1211 |
| Completed | 1240 |
| Official name: Villages with fortified churches in Transylvania | |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | iv |
| Designated | 1993 (17th session) 1999 (23rd session – Extension) |
| Reference no. | 596 |
| State Party | Romania |
| Region | Europe and North America |
| Type | architectural |
| Reference no. | LMI Code: BV-II-a-A-11745 (RAN Code: 41676.12) |
The Prejmer fortified church (Romanian: Biserica fortificată din Prejmer; German: Kirchenburg von Tartlau) is a Lutheran fortified church in Prejmer (Tartlau), Brașov County, in the Transylvania region of Romania and the ethnographic area of the Burzenland. The church was founded by the Germanic Teutonic Knights, and then was eventually taken over by the Transylvanian Saxon community. Initially Roman Catholic, it became Lutheran following the Reformation. Together with the surrounding village, the church forms part of the villages with fortified churches in Transylvania UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Around 1211, King Andrew II of Hungary permitted the knights to settle around Prejmer, where they began constructing a church in 1218, in Gothic style. They were responsible for the Greek cross plan, the only one of its kind in Transylvania, but found in a few churches in northeast Germany. Following their expulsion in 1225, the Cistercians, who took over in 1240, finished the church.
The triptych altarpiece, the oldest in the province, dates to around 1450; the main panel is joined to side panels painted on both faces, on two levels. The entire piece depicts scenes from the Passion of Christ. The Crucifixion is the central subject, four times the size of the other panels, over half this panel is gilt. The front side panels show the Washing of the Feet, the Last Supper, the Flagellation and the Judgement of Caiaphas; the rear has the Weeping Women, the Entombment, the Resurrection and the Myrrhbearers. The figures are simple and reduced to their essentials, their movements restrained or even statuesque, their clothing unruffled. The backgrounds are cursory, with the interiors showing only slight attention to geometric perspective. The colors are vivid, with the reds given a particular glow by the gilt background. The artist is unknown but was presumably trained in the Viennese school. A bell tower was added above the center of the church in 1461. The Greek cross shape was modified between 1512 and 1515: two side naves of unequal size were added while the main one was extended. The interior is simple and does not have traces of frescoes, while 19th century paintings were removed during restoration.
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