# Ighișu Nou Fortified Church [Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Transylvania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/transilvania) › [Sibiu County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/sibiu) › [Ighișu Nou](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/locality/ighisu-nou) > A Saxon Gothic church of the 14th–15th centuries, with a defensive tower under a hipped roof, a complete enclosure wall, a round bastion from 1515 and medieval frescoes in the choir. **At a glance:** Monasteries and churches in Ighișu Nou, Sibiu County. The visit takes 30 min. Information verified on 10 October 2026. ## Key facts - **Opening hours:** We found no official visiting hours. The church belongs to the Evangelical parish in Mediaș: phone +40 269 843 228 in advance to find out how to visit. - **Visit duration:** 30 min — estimate, small enclosure - **With kids:** Yes — grassy yard - **Best season:** All year round - **Address:** Strada Școlii, Ighișu Nou, Sibiu County - **Coordinates:** 46.1129, 24.346 - **Phone:** +40 269 843 228 - **Wikipedia:** https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biserica_fortificat%C4%83_din_Ighi%C8%99u_Nou - **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q12722683 - **Categories:** [Monasteries and churches](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/manastiri-si-biserici), [Fortresses and fortifications](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cetati-si-fortificatii) ## About Ighișu Nou Fortified Church Ighișu Nou (Eibesdorf in German) is first recorded in 1305 and lived for centuries from vineyards, grain, cattle breeding and orchards. The village was prosperous enough to afford a richly decorated church and thick defensive walls. The church began as a towerless Gothic hall with a narrow choir in the 14th–15th centuries. At the end of the 15th century the choir was raised with a defensive storey, and a tower was built into the front hall, its staircases hidden in the thickness of the walls. A small octagonal stair turret was added later on the north side. The Saxons around Mediaș had good stonemasons, and it shows here: blossoming roses on the springers of the tracery windows in the choir and a richly moulded west portal. The western tower still has its hipped roof and timber fighting storey. The church is surrounded by a complete enclosure wall, with the ruins of a fortified granary tower on the north side and a horseshoe-shaped round bastion in the south-east, built in 1515 and raised in the 17th century. ### What you can see You enter through the south side of the enclosure and can walk around the walls, with their loopholes and the round bastion overlooking the slope of the hill. In the choir there are traces of medieval wall paintings from the 14th–15th centuries, discovered relatively recently, under the ribbed vault resting on columns with carved capitals. On the north wall is a tabernacle with plant motifs, above which sits a Vir Dolorum; the same unknown master also worked on the churches at Boian, Dupuș, Valea Viilor and Bazna. A bell cast in 1496 hangs in the tower. ### Good to know Beside the church, in a building within the enclosure, the parish has set up a small museum of objects donated by the Saxon families who left the village. The complex was rehabilitated in 2012–2013 with European funds. We found no official visiting hours: phone the Evangelical parish in Mediaș in advance. ## Don't miss - The western defensive tower, with its hipped roof and timber fighting storey. - The round bastion of 1515 in the south-east corner of the enclosure. - Medieval frescoes of the 14th–15th centuries in the choir, under the ribbed vault. - The stone tabernacle with a Vir Dolorum on the north wall. - The small museum in the enclosure, with objects donated by the Saxon families who left the village. ## Good to know before you go ### Getting there **By car:** Ighișu Nou is ~7 km from the centre of Mediaș (~10 minutes) on asphalt roads; Sibiu is ~60 km away (~1 hour) and Sighișoara ~50 km (~1 hour). Distances are estimates. **Public transport:** we found no regular public transport to the village. The nearest major railway station is in Mediaș, from where you continue by taxi. ### Fees & discounts We found no published visiting charges. ### Rules Dress and behave as befits a place of worship. Photography outdoors is usually fine; ask first inside. Watch your step on the old stairs and walls, especially with children. ### Facilities small museum in the enclosure · no other known facilities ## Details - **Construction period:** 15th–17th centuries - **Denomination:** Evangelical - **Architectural style:** Gothic ## Frequently asked questions about Ighișu Nou Fortified Church **How long does a visit to Ighișu Nou Fortified Church take?** A visit to Ighișu Nou Fortified Church takes about 30 min (estimate, small enclosure). **Can you visit Ighișu Nou Fortified Church with kids?** Yes, Ighișu Nou Fortified Church is suitable for children (grassy yard). **How do I get to Ighișu Nou Fortified Church?** Ighișu Nou Fortified Church is located at Strada Școlii, Ighișu Nou, Sibiu County. By car: Ighișu Nou is ~7 km from the centre of Mediaș (~10 minutes) on asphalt roads; Sibiu is ~60 km away (~1 hour) and Sighișoara ~50 km (~1 hour). Distances are estimates. Public transport: we found no regular public transport to the village. The nearest major railway station is in Mediaș, from where you continue by taxi. **When is the best time to visit Ighișu Nou Fortified Church?** The best season for Ighișu Nou Fortified Church: All year round. ## Nearby attractions - [Moșna Fortified Church](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/biserica-fortificata-din-mosna) — Monasteries and churches · Moșna, SB · ½ – 1 hours · 6 km One of the largest Gothic hall churches in the Târnava valley, with a massive bell tower and a walled enclosure with towers; part of the wall collapsed in June 2026. - [St Margaret's Church, Mediaș](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/biserica-sfanta-margareta-din-medias) — Monasteries and churches · Mediaș, SB · 15 lei · ½ – 1 hours · 8 km The Lutheran church in the centre of Mediaș, late Gothic and enclosed in a fortress with walls and towers; its leaning tower, with a five-pointed spire, is the town's emblem. - [Valea Viilor Fortified Church](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/biserica-fortificata-din-valea-viilor) — Monasteries and churches · Valea Viilor, SB · 8 lei · UNESCO World Heritage · Top 100 · 8 km The Saxon church in a vineyard valley near Mediaș, with its choir turned into a defence tower, an almost intact oval wall and a wood-and-iron portcullis that has survived for centuries. - [Alma Vii Fortified Church](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/biserica-fortificata-din-alma-vii) — Monasteries and churches · Alma Vii, SB · 13 km A small Saxon stronghold on the hill of a village at the end of the road, with four restored towers housing small museums of village life; winner of a Europa Nostra award in 2024. - [Axente Sever Fortified Church](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/biserica-fortificata-din-axente-sever) — Monasteries and churches · Axente Sever, SB · 45 min · 14 km A 14th-century Gothic hall church with its bell tower raised above the choir, surrounded by an oval wall whose former food stores now house a museum and guest rooms. - [Richiș Fortified Church](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/biserica-fortificata-din-richis) — Monasteries and churches · Richiș, SB · 45 min · 14 km A Gothic basilica from the second half of the 14th century, with a gate tower and enclosure walls, known for the Green Man and the other faces carved in stone inside. --- Full page: https://peplaiuri.ro/en/biserica-fortificata-din-ighisu-nou Other languages: Română: https://peplaiuri.ro/biserica-fortificata-din-ighisu-nou.md · Deutsch: https://peplaiuri.ro/de/biserica-fortificata-din-ighisu-nou.md · Italiano: https://peplaiuri.ro/it/biserica-fortificata-din-ighisu-nou.md Last updated: 10 October 2026 Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania