St. Mary Evangelical Cathedral, Sibiu

1. History

First there was a Romanesque church built in the 12th century. Later the Saxons enlarged this church and added elements of the evangelical rite, sometimes by covering the Romanesque ones.

2. Gravestones

On the north wall, there are 67 gravestones, including that of Georg Hecht (the oldest, dating from 1496), Baron Samuel de Brukenthal and other personalities who lived before the 19th century. Surprising is the presence of the tomb of the ruler Mihnea Vodă the Wicked, who was assassinated in 1510 as he left the church, and since his mother was a Saxon he was accepted here.

3. The cathedral and its tower

The interior highlights the arched vaults and the height of the church. The tower has 7 levels and at the top of the tower there are 4 small towers. The tower can be climbed. The altar is wide, bright and open. The baptismal font in which the current President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, was baptized is also located here. It was improvised from a bronze cannon by a skilled craftsman.

The faithful, as well as tourists, can rest and pray on the church benches.

4. Orga

In the balcony is the church choir. The first organ installed here dates back to the 15th century, with a large one installed a century later. The present organ, which is famous, was put in place in 1914 and is the largest organ in South-East Europe.

There are also several other small organs in the church We had the good fortune and pleasure to stumble upon several artists playing small organs from the altar, enjoying the divine, soothing music emanating from the organ pipes.

5. Georg Daniel Teutsch

In front of the cathedral and also in the courtyard of the Samule von Brukenthal National College (German grammar school) stands a statue of Georg Daniel Teutsch, a Saxon evangelical bishop who lived from 1817 to 1893. He was known as a teacher, theologian, historian and politician.