Not so long ago, a private initiative was formed in Tarteln around the Transylvanian Saxon homeowner Joachim Gherghel to preserve the 13th century fortified church. Now that the second work assignment has been successfully completed, further steps are already being planned.
The medieval gem of Tarteln, which was converted into a fortified church around 1500, is increasingly becoming the focus of monument conservation. After the first work assignment in autumn 2023 (see report: https://kirchenburgen.org/en/arbeiten-an-einem-kleinod/), Joachim Gherghel, in cooperation with the Fortified Churches Foundation, organized the continuation of a monument rescue story in June 2024, which will be written in several chapters.
In addition to trimming the overgrown vegetation on the grounds, which had already threatened to make access to individual areas of the site difficult, the focus in June was on securing the church tower. There, the volunteers not only had to carry out cleaning work floor by floor, but also make important interventions in the wooden structures: Under expert guidance, stairs and railings were repaired and the formwork renewed. The roof was repaired by repointing individual roof tiles and cement plaster was removed from the base.
Over generations, mounds of earth of varying heights had formed around the church, some of which had contributed to increased damp on the building. These mounds in the north-western area of the inner courtyard have now been removed with the help of a small excavator. Last but not least, the entire nave was given a general clean.
Motorcycle service with the priest
At the end of the work week, a bilingual (motorcycle) service was held on June 29 in the clean church courtyard with the grateful support of the Sibiu district decan, Rev. Dietrich Galter, with over fifty participants, attended by helpers, visitors from abroad, motorcyclists, parishioners and the local Romanian population. As part of the private celebration, donations of over €500 were collected from the motorcyclists, which will be used for the preservation of the fortified church.
Conservator Sebastian Bethge from the Fortified Churches Foundation is delighted with the progress in Tarteln: “The work on site is simply ideal. Joachim Gherghel is a passionate and well-connected person who always manages to get several villagers involved in the work. This meant that this time, too, food was provided for the workers and volunteers. In the meantime, a small support and interest group – the Friends of Tarteln Fortified Church – has developed for this valuable building. We are very grateful for this!” The costs of around 13,000 lei were shared between the Friends of Tarteln Fortified Church and the Fortified Churches Foundation.
Of course, a great deal of effort and resources will still be required to preserve the Tarteln fortified church in the long term. However, in view of the passion with which the initiative group is currently moving forward, we can be cautiously optimistic that the next steps already planned can be tackled in the near future. The aim for this year is another work camp to continue the woodwork so that a safe ascent to the imposing fortified tower is possible. Ideally, the school roof could also be made winter-proof and the rain gutters on the nave renewed at the same time.
Link: Call for donations https://kirchenburgen.org/en/participate/donate/
