<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>This paper aims to emphasize a specific aspect in the evolution of the architecture of churches built by Romanian Orthodox or Greek-Catholic communities in the Sibiu region, in the second half of the eighteenth century and during the nineteenth century. More exactly, it is the widespread presence, in the ecclesiastical architecture of that county, and also in other Romanian Transylvanian settings, of the western tower, added to the church, which housed the bells and sometimes even clocks. In most cases, the raising of these towers was entrusted to Saxon masons from Sibiu, whose names have been preserved in inscriptions on the walls of edifices, or by their registering in contracts signed by the Romanians who ordered the execution. The involvement of those worthy craftsmen represented an important factor in maintaining the dialogue and cultural exchanges between the two communities that lived together in the Sibiu County region.</p></abstract>

This paper aims to emphasize a specific aspect in the evolution of the architecture of churches built by Romanian Orthodox or Greek-Catholic communities in the Sibiu region, in the second half of the eighteenth century and during the nineteenth century. More exactly, it is the widespread presence, in the ecclesiastical architecture of that county, and also in other Romanian Transylvanian settings, of the western tower, added to the church, which housed the bells and sometimes even clocks. In most cases, the raising of these towers was entrusted to Saxon masons from Sibiu, whose names have been preserved in inscriptions on the walls of edifices, or by their registering in contracts signed by the Romanians who ordered the execution. The involvement of those worthy craftsmen represented an important factor in maintaining the dialogue and cultural exchanges between the two communities that lived together in the Sibiu County region.

The Building of Bell-Towers Added to Romanian Churches

Ioan Ovidiu Abrudan, PhD, Lecturer at the “Andrei Șaguna” Faculty of Orthodox Theology, “Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu, Romania. Address: Str. Mitropoliei 20, 550179 Sibiu, Romania

Review of Ecumenical Studies Sibiu

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

A Pattern of Intercommunity Cooperation in the Religious Life of the Romanians and the Saxons from Sibiu County, in the Eighteenth and the Nineteenth Century

This paper aims to emphasize a specific aspect in the evolution of the architecture of churches built by Romanian Orthodox or Greek-Catholic communities in the...

The Building of Bell-Towers Added to Romanian Churches

Published Online: May 28, 2016

Page range: 9 - 26

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/ress-2016-0002

Keywords
church architecture, bell-towers, western tower

© 2016 Ioan Ovidiu Abrudan, published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

The Building of Bell-Towers Added to Romanian Churches

Published Online: May 28, 2016

Page range: 9 - 26

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/ress-2016-0002

Keywordschurch architecture, bell-towers, western tower

© 2016 Ioan Ovidiu Abrudan, published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
church architecture, bell-towers, western tower