The construction site at the Lutheran church of Vingard, which started in March, was successfully completed in May. During a church service on the occasion of the handover, new perspectives opened up for the valuable sacred building. The committed mayor in charge surprised the representatives of the church and the Fortified Churches Foundation present with encouraging promises.
On June 9, 2022, District Dean Dr. Dr. Wolfgang Wünsch, Dipl. Theol. Britta Wünsch, District Church Curator Prof. Karl Broos and Rev. Wilhelm Meitert (Apoldu de Sus) met with Philipp Harfmann, Ecaterina Gál and Sebastian Bethge (Fortified Churches Foundation) in the Gothic hall church of Vingard to celebrate the successful completion of the work during a small church service. The meeting was also attended by the mayor of Șpring Iulia Stănilă (PNL), who is responsible for Vingard.
From March to May, roof repairs and securing works on the sacristy were carried out at the church. In addition, a maintenance walkway was installed in the roof truss, which will facilitate the timely detection of damages and their repair in the future. The lightning conductor was also renewed. The work was funded by the German Federal Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM) through the Transylvanian-Saxon Cultural Council and was carried out as part of the roof program of the Fortified Churches Foundation. The total investment amounted to about 150,000 lei (about 25,000 euros).
Help from the town hall
Mayor Stănilă is very interested in the proper maintenance of the site as well as in a subsequent tourist development of the church as part of the development plans for her entire municipality. Hence she has offered a support of 10,000 lei from the budget of the town hall for further works on the church. The Fortified Churches Foundation, the Sebeș District Consistory and the Apoldul de Sus parish office, which is responsible for the care of Vingard, are very happy for receiving this support, especially since the National Monument Authority has further commissioned a technical report with several specialized studies on the building, which should be completed by spring 2023. The further repair works resulting from these studies should finally be done in cooperation with Rev. Meitert and with the support of a circle of donors from Germany, which to date, have already been able to collect 5,000 euros through the Foundation’s Support Association in Berlin. The promised support from the mayor’s office has therefore come at the perfect moment!
The Lutheran church of Vingard is a very interesting building from a cultural and historical point of view. Ecaterina Gál from the team of the Fortified Churches Foundation describes: “The special thing about the church is its architectural history and function. Unlike the many Transylvanian fortified churches, it never had a defensive function. Instead, a descendant of the count of Câlnic had it built in the 15th century as a patronage church. The spacious building houses many valuable and interesting stone carvings. Even for this reason alone, the preservation of the church is a special task for us.”
Text: Stefan Bichler
Photos: Philipp Harfmann
