Churches and Monasteries in Transylvania
In Transylvania you can find lots of centuries old "fortified churches", medieval religious and military ensembles, built by villagers for defense purposes. These churches are surrounded by strong walls and defence towers. They served the purpose of protecting the village built around the church by invaders. The first fortified church built in Transylvania is the one from Carta (in Sibiu county). It was built in 1202 by the monks. In 1241 the monastery was destroyed by tartars (tatari), but it was rebuilt by the monks. In 1477 Matei Corvin banded it down under the rule of the Roman-Catholic church from Sibiu, but the church was rebuilt again in 1519. Other old fortified churches can be found in Sanpetru, Ghimbav and Prejmer (all of them in Brasov county). All of them date back from the 14th-15th century. Another monastery worth mentioning, is the one from Sambata de Sus, called...
