Cârţa Monastery

Daughter monasteries

No

The monastery Kerz (Romanian Carta, Latin Sancta Maria de Candelis ) is a former Cistercian abbey in Transylvania, Romania. It was the farthest southeast location ( within Europe, while Greece and Turkey) Cistercian monastery and lay in place candle, present in Sibiu.

History

The monastery was founded in 1202 as a daughter house of the monastery Egresch and thus belonged to the filiation of primary Pontigny Abbey. The Abbey Kerz received first by the Hungarian King an area on the left Altufer allocated - the so-called terram de exemtam Blaccis and was with several villages within a fief, including Michel Berg at Heltau, which was located since 1223 in the possession of the monastery. In addition the Abbey grabbed an active part in the colonization of the then deserted angle between Sighisoara and Repser chair. At the instigation of the Abbey the German villages cross, candle, present, and Klosdorf Meschendorf were created. Thus the monastery directly involved in the colonization of crown land, which was a typical behavior of the Order, operated by preference in even less developed areas. The Settlers for these activities came from, in addition to those of the German states (see Transylvanian Saxons ) probably partly from Flanders, and some of north-eastern France.

1264 were provided by the Hungarian King Stephen under the protection of Sibiu City abbey and possessions. Thus the inhabitants of the abbey belonging to villages came to enjoy the rights of the Golden Share Briefs, called Libertas Cibinensis. The areas of the abbey stood since the time until the 19.Jhd. the Sibiu City Council.

The Gothic stone building of the church began before 1241. The monks wore to the spread of this style of architecture in Transylvania and influenced mainly the then new church buildings in Barsa, where the sculptural decoration of the Cistercian Gothic finds himself ornamental. Examples would be St. Bartholomew in Kronstadt, and the churches of Neustadt, Peter Berg and Tartlau which are in the style of early Gothic architecture.

In the Mongol invasion of 1241, the monastery was looted, but no fire or other traces of destruction can be seen. The construction of the existing eastern part of the church can be dated to the period after 1264. In 1474 the abbey was dissolved by Turkish invasions and conflicts with the hearing by King Matthias Corvinus.

Today, the choir of the old monastery church is used by the German, protestant church candle, present.

Buildings and plant

The church is a three-aisled basilica with a transept in a bound system, zweijochigem pentagonal choir and on both sides of two rectangular chapels. The nave had four Doppeljoche. The exam was right ( south ) of the church. Are preserved choir, transept and a southern side chapel. Nave, facade and the eastern part of the exam are preserved as ruins.