Black Church (Biserica Neagră)

General

At the roots of the spectacular Carpathians, crowded between the traditional houses that lean one onto another, among the buildings of Brasov, a city burdened with more than 800 years of history, you can catch a glimpse of the beautiful and imposing Black Church (Biserica Neagra). Built arround the year 1380 and finished only in 1477, this gothic style church was first know by the name of Saint Mary's Church (Biserica Sfanta Maria), and only after the great fire from 1689 in which the roof and the interior burned out, the church got it's actual name. Because the local handicraftsman didn't know how to remake the arched roof, which was of great size, the church was remade with the help of workers coming from the town of Danzig. Still, the new arches were not built in gothic style, but baroque. Measuring 89 metres long and 38 meters broad, The Black Church is the biggest cult edifice in gothic style from Sout-Eastern Europe, and the biggest religious edifice between Wien and Istanbul, being able to shelter up to 5000 persons. The biggest bell in Romania, together with the church's belfry weight 6 tones. The church also hosts the richest collection of asian carpets in Europe. Coming from Counsel Square (Piata Sfatului), passing by the whir of the pigeons and the happy voices of children, the passer-by won't be able to see more than the 65 meters long church's derrick, well hidden between the buildings. But the closer you get, the church will become bigger and bigger and will impose with the respect of a religious edifice. The cold air and the quietness inside the church's walls will give you the impression that you are walking outside time and space, and stepping in, shy, in an intimate space reserved for the meeting of the man and the divine. Just the smell of the rocks and the sound of your own steps on the wooden floor will remind you that you are on earth and between earthings. Dominating the medieval center of Brasov, this church remains alive in the delicate rush of children studying at the nearby schools. In the church there are also often organized organ concerts. The organ, with it's 400 tubes, was built between 1836-1839 by Buchholz, an organ constructor from Berlin, and is one of the biggest in the south-east of Europe.