Inside Biertan: The Transylvanian Village Where Couples Had to Earn Their Divorce

Photo by Filip Marcus Adam on Pexels

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The church in Biertan was fortified, and they were forced to stay in the same room for as long as six weeks, each with one bed and one set of cutlery, one cup — until they either made up or meant it.

When I saw the mention of that detail, as if it was a no-brainer, it was like my brain froze. It's not obvious. It's not one of the things I've seen in years in Romania, and it's what makes Bier tan worth talking about, rather than just the typical Transylvania tour involving Bran Castle and the painted houses in Sighișoara.

The town is located about 25 kilometres away from the town of Mediaș, in Sibiu County; the only way to get there without a car is by bus to Media, then a local bus, which runs on its own timetable and isn't readily available. Worth it anyway. The church stands high above the Saxon houses when they came here. It was built to tell all those that were in charge, which is what it was. There are three walls of defence, towers at the corners, and a lock on a sacristy door which is as complex as it was possible to make, and won a prize at the Paris World Exhibition in 1900. Saxons who settled here in the 12th century were not at all casual about anything.

What You're Actually Looking At

Bierton was included, together with six other fortified Saxon churches in Transylvania, in the World Heritage List in 1993 by UNESCO. Biertan is not like some places of heritage that are still and lifeless, though, as people do still live around it. A folding table outside the entrance path is set up by old ladies for selling pickled paling and pickled vegetable jars. A cat lies on one of the ramparts of a wall, uncaring of its history.

The highlight inside the church is the triptych altarpiece from 1483. It contains 28 painted panels – these unfolded like a story when to people who could not read, it was exactly that. The colours aren't faded enough for a real antique, but just enough to make them look like a vintage object.

The Divorce Room

Back to that room. In German sources it is called the Kemenate; sometimes locally it is referred to as the reconciliation chamber. For the entire parish, there were no divorces from 1500 to 1800. One. The room possibly served its purpose, but, arguably, it is not a success story, or is it? That is in a small stone room with a cold and old woody smell. You can't help but think of what must have happened in that room. Some of them must have been resigned, some must have been angry, some probably were just tired.

Practical Notes:

• Church is open daily throughout the summer (approximately 9am – 6 pm), and less during winter: Check locally – advertised times are the best guesses.
• The entrance fee is a few leis (not a lot), and is meant for preservation.
• Village has a guesthouse to be known as: Guesthouse Bier tan, which is run by a German-Romanian family. Dinners can be prepared upon request. Breakfast consists of good home-made bread and sheep's cheese which tastes as if it was made that morning, for it was!
• Media or the slightly bigger fortified church at Viscus (about 40 km to the east), for a full day in Saxon country.

Don't expect to be overwhelmed with tasks at Biertan! That's the point. You walk up the cobbled path, you walk slowly through the church, you sit outside on the wall gazing at the red roofs and hills that are the same as they were three hundred years ago, and think about what it means to build something that will last. If so, you might have to purchase pickles from the woman who folds her table. You'll look good doing it, and she'll look happy you did.