Church & monasteryTransylvania

Valea Viilor Fortified Church: a UNESCO Saxon church in Sibiu County

The Valea Viilor fortified church (Wurmloch in German) is a Lutheran church built by the Transylvanian Saxons in Sibiu County, Romania, and strengthened around 1500 with a defensive level, towers and an oval wall. Since 1999 it has belonged to the UNESCO site of the villages with fortified churches in Transylvania. It is a quiet stop in a wine-growing area.

At Valea Viilor the choir of the church was rebuilt as a defensive tower with walls 1.5 m thick, so that a village place of worship could double as a last refuge.

WhereValea Viilor (Wurmloch), Sibiu County, Transylvania, Romania

TypeSaxon Lutheran fortified church, 14th–16th centuries, UNESCO World Heritage

Best forTransylvanian Saxon heritage, medieval defensive architecture and a quiet village visit

Getting thereIn the Sibiu region of Transylvania; Biertan fortified church, the nearest other place on this site, is about 20 km away

The history of Valea Viilor Fortified Church

The village appears in the records for the first time in 1263 as the possession Barwmlak. In 1305, after the death of Count Apafi, the owner of the village, his sons Gregor and Jacob divided his estates, among them terra Baromlak. In 1357 a Gebhard from Wurmloch led the priests of the deanery of Șeica in their claim against the bishop of Alba Iulia over the tithe, and in 1411 the abbot of Cluj-Mănăștur claimed the village as his own. The village was settled by Transylvanian Saxons, German-speaking colonists who came to the Kingdom of Hungary and whose communities built many of Transylvania’s fortified churches.

There is evidence of an earlier Romanesque church: its remains could once be seen under the floor of the sacristy, and the building is thought to have been about 10 m long, less than half the length of the present church. A Gothic hall church, perhaps first a basilica, is mentioned in 1414. The present church, dedicated to Saint Peter, is dated by the sources to the 14th or 15th century. It began as a Roman Catholic church and became Lutheran after the Reformation. A chapel of Saint Cyriacus, attested in 1446, once stood beside it.

Around 1500 the church was turned into a fortified church. A defensive level with parapets was added above the nave, and towers were built beside the north and south entrances, each with a small round tower holding a spiral staircase and a portcullis. The choir was rebuilt as a massive brick defensive tower, with walls 1.5 m thick, and a timber parapet projecting on corbels. Around 1520 the main west entrance beneath the bell tower was walled up, and a buttress about 10 m high was linked to two others to form a watch path. The pulpit dates from 1528, from a period of transition between Gothic and Renaissance, and the altar painting was made in 1779 by an artist from Sighișoara.

The church is surrounded by a single oval wall, built around 1500 and carrying a battlement on brick arches. Visitors enter through an arched passage under the gate tower on the west side, which could be closed with a wooden portcullis strengthened with iron. Three bastions survive, one facing each of three cardinal points, and the walls rise to 6–7 m. An earthquake damaged the church in 1738, and repairs were finished in 1742; further renovations followed in 1781 and 1826. Restoration in the 20th century strengthened the south-east wall, rebuilt the north watch path and repaired the choir tower in 1987. In 1999 the church joined Biertan on the UNESCO list.

Curiosities about Valea Viilor Fortified Church

The village has three names: Valea Viilor in Romanian, Wurmloch in German and Nagybaromlak in Hungarian. In the Saxon dialect it was Wormloch.
The village is in a known wine-growing area, which gave the Romanian name, meaning “Vineyards Valley”.
The church began as a Catholic building dedicated to Saint Peter and became Lutheran after the Reformation.
The choir was rebuilt as a defensive tower with walls 1.5 m thick, and its top parapet is a timber frame resting on corbels and arches between the buttresses.
The west gate passage could be shut with a portcullis made of wood strengthened with iron.
In 1999 the church was added to the UNESCO World Heritage site that had started with Biertan alone.

Tours near Valea Viilor Fortified Church

Experiences in the area that you can book online with Viator:

Exclusive Tour: Corvin Castle, Alba Iulia and traditional villages from Sibiu

★ 4.8 (34 reviews) · 6 h

See details ›

Private Walking Tour of Sibiu

★ 5 (29 reviews) · 1.5 h

See details ›

Sighisoara and Biertan: UNESCO in Transylvania

★ 5 (29 reviews) · 11 h

See details ›

Sighisoara Fortress Quest: Exploration Game and Tour

★ 4.4 (36 reviews) · 1 h

See details ›

Visiting Valea Viilor Fortified Church: what to see

Walk through the arched west gate passage and look up at the three surviving bastions and the oval wall with its parapets and embrasures.
Look at the choir tower and the defensive level above the nave, with its parapets, the small round stair towers and the walled-up west entrance.
Inside, the nave has a vault with a network of ribs resting on seven pairs of wall-attached poles. The pulpit dates from 1528 and the altar painting from 1779.
Biertan fortified church, about 20 km away, is the nearest other place on this site and part of the same UNESCO group.
The sources give no visiting hours or access details, so check the current opening hours before you go.

Opening hours, access and conditions can change. Check before you go.

Map: where Valea Viilor Fortified Church is

Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors

Photos of Valea Viilor Fortified Church

Questions

Where is Valea Viilor Fortified Church?

It is in the village of Valea Viilor (Wurmloch in German), Sibiu County, in the Transylvania region of Romania.

Who built the fortified church of Valea Viilor?

It was built by the Transylvanian Saxon community, German-speaking colonists in the Kingdom of Hungary, and fortified around 1500.

Is Valea Viilor Fortified Church a UNESCO site?

Yes. In 1999 it was added, with five other places, to Biertan to form the UNESCO World Heritage site of villages with fortified churches in Transylvania.

What are the main defences of Valea Viilor Fortified Church?

A defensive level above the nave, a choir rebuilt as a brick tower, a single oval wall 6–7 m high, a gate tower with a portcullis and three bastions.

Is Valea Viilor Fortified Church Catholic or Lutheran?

It began as a Roman Catholic church and became Lutheran after the Reformation. It is known as an evangelical (Lutheran) fortified church.

What else is near Valea Viilor Fortified Church?

Biertan fortified church is about 20 km away, Roșia fortified church about 30 km, and the Bridge of Lies and the Council Tower in Sibiu about 33 km.