The Calvin Reformed Church

After a long and fascinating day in nature, through Turda Gorge and Tureni Gorge, we return to the centre of Turda city, where the Calvin Reformed Church welcomes us.

The oldest monument preserved in Turda is located in the centre of the city, right next to the History Museum.

The first church in this place was Roman- Catholic, built in the fourteenth century, dedicated to St Mary. This church is mentioned in an old papal tax register from 1332 as being run by priest Peter from “Antiqua Thorda” (Old Turda). The building of the first church was made up of a hall with a tower (placed on the south side) and a choir placed on the east side.

The current church, built in the time of Sigismund of Luxembourg, at around 1400, was designed in Gothic style, having a single nave with a (current) length of 26 m, width of 8.5 m, and height of 16 m. Initially, it was longer by 5-10 m, including the usual choir/altar to the east (towards Republicii Square), with ogival vaults on the cross, which was demolished with the construction of the surrounding fortification. The church no longer fit into the enclosure of the defence walls, being placed over against the fortress; thus, the altar had to be sacrificed on a length of 5-10 m.

Instead of the demolished altar, in the seventeenth century, a bell tower was erected, which collapsed in 1862. The current clock tower, with a height of 60 m, was built between 1904 and 1906 and became the emblematic symbol of the city of Turda.

The west and north façades of the church are the most beautiful. The western façade, with the entrance framed by an ornate portal, presents typical Gothic elements from the beginning of the 15th century. In the axis of the western façade, there is a portal, finished in a broken arch. The western portal is decorated with oak leaf motifs. The north façade has five buttresses and a secondary portal. The interior of the church was damaged by a 17th-century fire; therefore, the interior ornamentation is mostly the work of subsequent renovations.

In 1564, the Church, initially Roman-Catholic, embraced the Reformed-Calvinist confession. Exiting the church, the History Museum can be seen very close, so beautifully telling the legends of the place.

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