The Roman Catholic Church in Turda

 

The Roman Catholic Church in Turda was built between 1475-1504, on the site of an older church, documented as early as 1342. The current church is dedicated to the Nativity of the Mother of God. In the Middle Ages, it had as patrons Saint Nicholas and Saint Martin.

The church is listed on the list of historical monuments of Cluj County, compiled by the Romanian Ministry of Culture in 2015 (code LMI CJ-II-m-A-07800).

History

The church was initially surrounded by annex buildings, dependencies, and a protective wall. At the current stage of research, it is impossible to specify the location of the first church, its planimetry and masonry structures. However, numerous graves destroyed by the foundations of the current church, coins found here, issued in the 14th century and in the first half of the 15th century (Carol I Robert de Anjou [1288-1342], Sigismund de Luxemburg [1387-1437], Vladislav I [1440-1444], John of Hunedoara [1446-1456], Matthias Corvin [1443-1490]), as well as fragments of fresco discovered, indicate an older place of worship, whose existence ended in the second half of the 15th century. It is not excluded that some fragments of the old church were used in the current building, as suggested by the situations captured in the interior section and in one of the exteriors.

Inside the parish building of this church (Republic Square No. 1), two of the keystones of the old Roman Catholic church, demolished in the 15th century, are embedded in the walls (one of them bears the sign "Keys of St. Peter" from 1472, and can easily be confused with the very well-known coat of arms of the Vatican).

The current church is a well-integrated building, with foundations from the nave, choir, and sacristy raised in a single stage. The materials used were medium-sized quarry stone, large stone slabs brought from the Roman fortress of Potaissa, processed medieval stone waste, and reused stones from the previous construction. All of these were placed in approximately regular beds, leveled with small stones and fragments of Roman bricks. The mortar is of good quality, hard, made of sand, clay and ceramic pigment. The foundation is partially built and partially drowned in mortar. The elevation is delimited by a prominent string course, both inside and outside. 

The church was built in Gothic style, with originally 3 naves. The main nave, oriented east-west, has a length of 50 m and a width of 18.20 m. The altar has a length of 20.2 m. It suffered significant damage after being attacked by Giovanni Battista Castaldo in the 1540s, Giorgio Basta in 1602, General Tiege in 1706, and the battles between the Csángós and Lipps in 1703-1711 (events recorded in the church's archives).

Initially, until 1568, it belonged to the Roman Catholic cult, then, between 1568-1721, to the Unitarian cult. In this church, the establishment of the Unitarian Church was proclaimed in 1568. On the right wall inside the church, there is a commemorative plaque written in 3 languages (Hungarian, Romanian, English) which reminds of this significant event.

After 1721 (after the Catholic conquest of Transylvania), the church was returned to the Roman Catholic cult and transformed into a Baroque style.

The church used to have 2 towers, which were demolished during the Baroque renovations in the 18th century. The main tower was placed exactly where the entrance to the church is now and was demolished after being damaged by several lightning strikes. It was not rebuilt (the church does not have a tower at present). The main entrance to the church passed through and under this tower [1]. The other tower was smaller and it is not known exactly where it was located.

The church was (until the 18th century) surrounded by 2 m thick and 12 m high defensive walls. During the restrictive periods (especially during the invasions of the Tatars and the Turks), the fortified church provided refuge for the threatened population (most people took refuge in the heavy periods in the Turzii Gorges). Remnants of these old walls could still be found in the 20th century behind the two-story house near the church, on the south side (towards the square). The fortification gate was demolished during the construction of this two-story house, which used the material from that gate. The walls were built exclusively with stones brought from the Roman castle (like many of the buildings in Turda, such as the Tribunal, the former City Hall).

A strong fire affected the building in the early 19th century, when the burning roof caused the collapse of the choir and nave arches, seriously damaging the interior of the church. This was followed by a reconstruction in a neo-baroque style, with the introduction of strong independent pillars, separate from the Gothic structure. The new beams of the nave and choir were covered with Bohemian domes. On the exterior, a number of Gothic elements have been preserved on the church facades, except for the west facade, which was also done in a neo-baroque style. Some original elements and traces of elements have also been preserved in the church's roof. The works, as shown by the inscription above the entrance, were led by the master builder Francisc Lek and the carpenter Francisc Szentmiklósi, and were completed in 1822.

The symbol of the rose

The Roman Catholic Church reluctantly accepted the rose as one of the Christian symbols at first, due to its use in pre-Christian rituals, especially in the celebration of love gods. Over time, due to its thorns, the rose became a symbol of the sufferings of Jesus, with the red rose signifying martyrdom. The Roman Catholic Church in Turda also hides this symbol. On the statue of Jesus on the right side of the church, the sculptor created a barely visible cross on his shirt. In the center of the cross is a heart, and at the base of the cross is the symbolic rose.