Bodendorf

Bodendorf (Romanian: Bunești, Hungarian: Szászbuda, Transylvanian Saxon: Bodendref) lies in Brașov County in Transylvania, in the Reps Land, a small region at the northeastern border of Brașov County, named after the town of Rupea (Reps).

The village was already mentioned in antiquity. In and around the settlement, Dacian fortresses were found, which were later demolished when the Hungarian king Géza II brought the Transylvanian Saxons to the area. The material was then used to build churches and their fortifications, enabling the Saxons to defend themselves against attacks. They built their houses from wood, and when the village was attacked the inhabitants took refuge in the fireproof fortified church.

Attacks on Bodendorf came quite early: the late-Romanesque pillar basilica was converted into a defensive structure at the end of the 13th century. The side aisles were demolished, the nave was reinforced, and the tower (1847) was given two defensive storeys. In the mid-15th century the chancel received its own defensive storey with a remarkable machicolation (drop-holes). The tower served as a refuge for the pastor during times of attack. On the decorated walls of the tower one can still read words of comfort written by Pastor Johannes Nösner while the village was under attack: "Hör! Hast Vor eIne gVte SaCh, aber's geht Von statt geMaCh, fahre getrost fort, nICht Verzag, es fäLLt keIn alt eICh auf eIn SChlag." (The capitalised letters are Roman numerals; their sum gives the year 1680.) The outer wall with its four towers and the covered chambers have survived.

The narrow interior is impressive for its furnishings. The organ-altar, pulpit, and pews all date from 1805. The interior paintings were executed by the Rössler family (grandfather and grandson).

The Transylvanian hymn "Siebenbürgen, süße Heimat" (Transylvania, Sweet Homeland) mentions a sea that covered this region in the geological Middle Ages. This explains why the Bodendorf fortified church is built from marine sedimentary rock containing fossil inclusions.

The fortified church was renovated between 2010 and 2014 within the EU project "18 Kirchenburgen" (510,000 EUR). The project was carried out by the Consistory of the Evangelical Church A.C. in Romania.

Author: Kirchenburgen.org
Date: 19.04.2018

For photos from Bodendorf, please click: Photos from Bodendorf