The Fortified Church of Homorod (Hamruden), Brasov County

January 28, 2022October 5, 2023 Koen 0 Comments

In this destination guide we will visit the fortified church of Homorod (Hamruden).

Homorod

Having visited Rupea Fortress, it was time to hit some more Saxon fortified churches on my road trip across Transylvania. Fortunately, the next fortified church was only a stone throw away from Rupea in the next village of Homorod.

From Rupea, it’s just a 7-minute drive to Homorod, which is located 5 kilometres to the east.

As Homorod is just a small village, there is plenty of parking space just besides the main road. The best place to park your car is around the triangular park opposite the fortified church itself.

stork nest romania village — *Driving through the streets of Homorod. In Romanian villages, stork nests on electricity poles are quite a common sight. ©Paliparan*

village romania — *The fortified church of Homorod can already be seen in the distance as you enter the village on the road from Rupea. ©Paliparan*

dacia sandero — *I parked my little Dacia Sandero at the side of the road next to the triangular park opposite the fortified church. ©Paliparan*

Homorod history

Homorod, which is called Hamruden in German or Homoród in Hungarian, has always been a minor settlement. It was founded in the 12th century by Saxon (German) settlers at the confluence of two small creeks which provided a great source of mineral water.

Over the years, the Transylvanian Saxon presence slowly declined. In 1941, just 508 of the 1,503 people living in Homorod were ethnic Germans.

The last Romanian census of 2011 found that only 1.2% of Homorod’s inhabitants were German, with Romanians at 49.3%, Hungarians at 29.9% and Roma at 18.4% making up the bulk of the population.

homorod fortified church hamruden — *Approaching the fortified church. ©Paliparan*

Hamruden fortified church

The church you see in Homorod (Hamruden) has been built in 1270 in Romanesque style. The fortifications around it, as well as the massive guard tower which rises eight stories above the church, were only added in the 15th century.

There are two layers of walls around the church, with four towers guarding the outer ring of fortifications.

For such a small village, the fortified church of Homorod certainly was a mighty defensive structure.

defensive tower homorod church — *The mighty keep of the Homorod fortified church. ©Paliparan*

Visiting the church

Just like so many other Saxon fortified churches in smaller, less-visited towns, the fortified church of Homorod is usually not open.

As is customary, you will instead find the phone number of the caretaker of the fortified church posted at the door, who you then need to call to open the church doors for you.

Unfortunately, when I called the phone number nobody answered.

This was certainly quite a pity as I was looking forward to visit Homorod’s fortified church given that it is famous for its well-preserved Medieval murals in the old choir.

Some of these wall paintings date back to the 13th century and blend Romanesque with Gothic style elements, making them some of the oldest and most unique in all of Transylvania.

entrance church — *The entrance to the Homorod fortified church. ©Paliparan*

Conclusion

The church of Homorod (Hamruden) might be one of the lesser-known Saxon fortified churches in Transylvania, but it certainly does have some unique aspects.

First of all, this fortified church certainly is an impressive defensive bastion, with the mighty guard tower rising eight floors above the church.

Secondly, Homorod’s fortified church has some well-preserved murals in the old choir, with some of these wall paintings dating back to the 13th century and uniquely blending Romanesque and Gothic style elements.

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to visit inside as the door was locked and I couldn’t get hold of the keyholder by phone, but don’t let that deter you if you might find yourself in this part of Transylvania as Homorod’s fortified church is certainly well-worth a visit.

Trip report index

This article is part of the ‘Visiting the Saxon Fortified Churches of Transylvania‘ trip report, which consists of the following chapters:

Koen

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