Photo credit: (c) Bogdan DUMITRESCU / AGERPRES ARCHIVE

It was given the name of the Black Church after the Great Fire that swept through the city in 1689 left its walls blackened by the smoke and also severely damaged.

While there are many white churches in this area, such as the Bela Crkva in the southern Banat, Biserica Alba [the White Church] in Albesti Tarnava near Sighisoara, Biserica Alba in Viscri, near Rupea, there is only one ‘Black Church’, the one in Brasov, according to the representatives of the evangelical community here.

Photo credit: (c) Alex TUDOR / AGERPRES ARCHIVE

The things that would highlight the importance of the Black Church the best would be: the largest church building existing in Romania, measuring 90 metres in length, 27-37 metres in width, 21 metres in height, 42 metres the roof apex and 65 metres the height of the tower, including the cross. The Black Church is also the largest hall church east of Vienna, with all its aisles of the same height and also one of the largest medieval churches in between the St. Stephen’s Dome in Vienna and the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. It also has the largest pipe organ in Romania, with approximately 4,000 pipes and an especially beautiful timbre, also advantaged by the good acoustic of the church. The Black Church also has the largest collection of old oriental rugs from the Small Asia that exists outside Turkey. Moreover, it has the biggest mobile bell in Romania, weighting no less than 6,000 kilograms. The bell of the Orthodox Patriarchy’s Church in Bucharest is bigger, but it is fixed, with only its tongue moving.

Photo credit: (c) Bogdan BARBULESCU / AGERPRES ARCHIVE

Since Brasov used to be located on the southeastern boundary of the Western world and it was under the influence of the Roman-Catholic Church, its representatives sought to impress the foreign visitors who were coming to Brasov by building large churches. The one who had this vision first was Pastor Thomas Sander, who worked here from 1377 until 1419, being the main founder of this building, of both the altar and the aisle. He started to build the church, under the protection of Saint Mary, in 1383, and in 1385 the first letter of indulgence was issued to reactivate the construction works at the future church, signed by the Archbishop of Strigoniu (Esztergom-Hungary), for Brasov was under the subordination of this Diocese back then.

Photo credit: (c) Ion DUMITRU / AGERPRES ARCHIVE

The first partial damage to the yet unfinished church took place during the Turkish invasion of 1421. However, two centuries after its construction started, the church building was almost complete. In the 16th century, during the Protestant Reformation in Transylvania, the Latin language — that was the tongue of the Saxon faithful — was replaced by the German language, with the first Lutheran [Evangelical Church of Augustan Confession in Romania] service in German language having been held here in 1542. In the spring of 1544 they elected the first Lutheran priest, in the person of the great humanist and reformer Johannes Honterus (1498-1549). It was then when the icons and the altars that were used by the Catholics were removed from the church.

The many earthquakes that occurred during the 16th and 17th centuries also damaged the building, but not that severely, since it only needed small repairs. Several hundreds of dead bodies were buried in the church during the Great Plague of 1602-1603. Also, the Great Fire that swept through the Brasov City on April 21, 1689, affected the church too. The bells in the tower melted because of the heat and fell, destroying thus the famous tower clock. Only the baptistery that was built in 1472 remained untouched and the church treasures in the sacristy. A temporary roof was built, with new bells, and the first religious service after the fire was held in 1691.

Photo credit: (c) Aurel VIRLAN / AGERPRES ARCHIVE

They built the new roof over 1693-1694 and two years later they also built the pulpit and the choir. Over 1710-1714, they built the galleries over the lateral aisles and in 1729 they started building the columns for the vaults of the choir. The new altar, the new pews and the spiral stars ensuring the access to the lateral galleries were built between 1865 and 1866.

In the years before the World War I, they started the restoration works of the church, but they were interrupted by the war. The heating with hot air began in 1937, thanks to a generous donation made by Guardian Samuel Sachiel. The restoration works started again and they were again interrupted, this time by the World War II. They were resumed as late as in 1969, by the Direction of Historic Monuments, taking eight years to complete. The southern façade and the roof were being restored on this occasion, while the inside was restored between 1981 and 1984, with support from the Evangelical Church of Renania. The rebuilding of the northern façade continued until 1987, when they started rebuilding the western façade and the tower, until 1999. Since 2000, the Black Church is also illuminated at night. The large pipe organ was also restored in 2001.

‘The Black Church has changed a lot since the old times. So much that we could almost change its name into the ‘Motley Church.’ These many colours, however, that appeared in time on its walls, will for sure darken again, to show the future generations a new image of it closer to the old one,’ the church representatives say.

Photo credit: (c) Ion DUMITRU / AGERPRES ARCHIVE

The pipe organ, which is considered to be one of the most treasured items that belong to the Black Church, was built between 1836-1839 by the Bucholz company in Berlin, and then thoroughly restored by a Swiss company between 1998-2001. Tourists who visit the Church during the summer can listen here to special concerts performed by famous organists from Romania and abroad, accompanied by the Bach Choir of the Black Church, founded in 1933 by musician and music teacher Victor Bickerich, who also played the pipe organ here between the years 1922 and 1962. The choir is led by organist Steffen Schlandt.

The banks with a mobile back from the main nave were installed in the church in 1937, once with the heating system. These banks allow the visitor who in the beginning of the religious service stands looking at the altar, to change his position during the homily or during the concerts and look towards the pulpit or the organ.

Photo credit: (c) Alex TUDOR / AGERPRES ARCHIVE

In May this year, the Black Church received the visit of Prince Charles, the Heir-apparent to the British Throne, who was impressed by the building and said he would come again. “One visit to the Black Church can not be sufficient. Only by returning here several times we can understand this site’s history and we can feel more at home and also more able to appreciate more this valuable part of the cultural heritage of the Brasov City,’ the representatives of the Black Church also said.AGERPRES