# Saschiz Fortified Church

[Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Transylvania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/transilvania) › [Mureș County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/mures) › [Saschiz](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/locality/saschiz)

> A Late Gothic Saxon church beside the DN13, with a bell tower modelled on Sighișoara's Clock Tower; on the hill above the village stand the walls of a 14th-century peasant fortress.

[UNESCO World Heritage](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/unesco-heritage) · [Top 100 in Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/top-100)

**At a glance:** Monasteries and churches in Saschiz, Mureș County. Opening hours: Monday 10:00 – 18:00, Tuesday–Wednesday closed, Thursday–Sunday 10:00 – 18:00. Ticket: 10 lei. Information verified on 1 October 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** Monday 10:00 – 18:00, Tuesday–Wednesday closed, Thursday–Sunday 10:00 – 18:00 — Hours as posted by the Saschiz tourist information centre; it does not say whether they also apply in winter. The town hall's page gives older hours, with the church closed only on Tuesdays — phone the information centre before you go. The peasant fortress on the hill has separate hours.
- **Ticket:** 10 lei — children 6 lei
- **Address:** Strada Principală (DN13), in the village centre, Saschiz, Mureș County
- **Coordinates:** 46.19416, 24.96016
- **Phone:** +40 265 711 808
- **Website:** https://turism.saschiz.ro/locatii/biserica-sfantul-stefan
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saschiz_fortified_church
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16746430
- **Categories:** [Monasteries and churches](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/manastiri-si-biserici), [Fortresses and fortifications](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cetati-si-fortificatii)

## About Saschiz Fortified Church

Saschiz, once a Saxon market town on the road between Sighișoara and Rupea, has two fortifications: the church in the centre of the village and the refuge fortress on the wooded hill behind it. The church, dedicated to Saint Stephen, King of Hungary, was built between 1493 and 1525 on the site of a Romanesque basilica. It is a Late Gothic hall church with a single nave and a long choir, and the defensive storey above the vaults rests on 22 buttresses linked by arches.

Of the old enclosure only the northern tower survives, standing apart from the church. In 1677 it received its tall spire with four corner turrets, modelled on the Clock Tower in Sighișoara, and it has been the village's landmark from the road ever since. The tower was recently restored with EU funds. Since 1999, Saschiz has been part of the UNESCO site "Villages with Fortified Churches in Transylvania".

### What you can see

On the church's façade, the arches between the buttresses and the openings of the defensive storey show how the building was defended from above rather than from behind walls. Inside, the nave has a net vault, rebuilt in 1878, and most of the furnishings are Baroque: the white and gold altar of 1735 and the organ built in 1786 by Johannes Prause and restored in 2025. The choir keeps richly carved Gothic stalls and a Gothic stone tabernacle. In one of the tower windows you can spot a small wooden figure that once held a bell and struck the quarter hours along with the clock.

The peasant fortress on the hill, built in the 14th century, had six towers and a large courtyard with the remains of a chapel and a well over 60 metres deep. Its walls were consolidated in a restoration project that lasted more than a decade, and from up there you can see the whole village, with the church tower in the middle.

### Good to know

The church is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The fortress is reached on foot, about 2 km from the village centre or roughly 700 m from the barrier on the road up the hill; it has separate opening hours set by the town hall, so ask at the tourist information centre before you climb.

## Don't miss

- The bell tower with its spire of 1677, modelled on the Clock Tower in Sighișoara.
- The small wooden figure in the tower window, which once struck the quarter hours on a bell.
- The organ of 1786, built by Johannes Prause and restored in 2025.
- The carved Gothic stalls in the church choir.
- The view over the village from the walls of the peasant fortress on the hill.

## Good to know before you go

### Getting there

**By car:** Saschiz lies right on the DN13 (E60), the road between Sighișoara and Brașov, and the church is visible from the road in the centre of the village. Sighișoara is ~20 km away (~20 minutes), Brașov ~100 km (~1 hour 30 minutes) and Târgu Mureș ~75 km (~1 hour 15 minutes).

**Public transport:** the nearest major railway station is Sighișoara; from there, continue by the buses and minibuses that run along the DN13 towards Rupea and Brașov and stop in Saschiz, or by taxi.

### Where to park

Next to the church, at the edge of the DN13, there is a gravel area where cars can be left. For the fortress, the road up the hill is closed by a barrier, from where you continue on foot.

### Fees & discounts

Church: 10 lei for adults, 6 lei for children. The town hall's page still shows the old prices of 6 lei and 3 lei. The peasant fortress has separate access; ask at the tourist information centre whether there is an entry fee.

### Facilities

tourist information centre in the town hall courtyard, open daily 10:00–18:00 · guesthouses and restaurants in the village

## Details

- **Construction period:** 1493–1525
- **Founder:** the Saxon community
- **State of preservation:** good
- **Dedication:** Saint Stephen
- **Denomination:** Evangelical
- **Architectural style:** Late Gothic

## Frequently asked questions about Saschiz Fortified Church

**How much is a ticket to Saschiz Fortified Church?**

A ticket to Saschiz Fortified Church costs 10 lei (children 6 lei). Church: 10 lei for adults, 6 lei for children. The town hall's page still shows the old prices of 6 lei and 3 lei. The peasant fortress has separate access; ask at the tourist information centre whether there is an entry fee.

**What are the opening hours of Saschiz Fortified Church?**

Opening hours at Saschiz Fortified Church: Monday 10:00 – 18:00, Tuesday–Wednesday closed, Thursday–Sunday 10:00 – 18:00. Hours as posted by the Saschiz tourist information centre; it does not say whether they also apply in winter. The town hall's page gives older hours, with the church closed only on Tuesdays — phone the information centre before you go. The peasant fortress on the hill has separate hours.

**How do I get to Saschiz Fortified Church?**

Saschiz Fortified Church is located at Strada Principală (DN13), in the village centre, Saschiz, Mureș County. By car: Saschiz lies right on the DN13 (E60), the road between Sighișoara and Brașov, and the church is visible from the road in the centre of the village. Sighișoara is ~20 km away (~20 minutes), Brașov ~100 km (~1 hour 30 minutes) and Târgu Mureș ~75 km (~1 hour 15 minutes). Public transport: the nearest major railway station is Sighișoara; from there, continue by the buses and minibuses that run along the DN13 towards Rupea and Brașov and stop in Saschiz, or by taxi.

## Nearby attractions

- [Sighișoara Citadel](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cetatea-sighisoara) — Fortresses and fortifications · Sighișoara, MS · Free · 2½ – 3 hours · UNESCO World Heritage · Top 20 · 17 km
  A Saxon-built, still-inhabited medieval walled town on a hill above the Târnava Mare, with guild towers and the famous Clock Tower; a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999.
- [Viscri Fortified Church](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/biserica-fortificata-din-viscri) — Monasteries and churches · Viscri, BV · 20 lei · UNESCO World Heritage · Top 100 · 24 km
  A small white church on the hill above the village, grown from a 12th-century Romanesque chapel and ringed by walls, towers and grain galleries, in a Saxon village that has survived almost intact.
- [Dârjiu Fortified Church](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/biserica-fortificata-din-darjiu) — Monasteries and churches · Dârjiu, HR · 10 lei · UNESCO World Heritage · Top 100 · 24 km
  The only Székely and Unitarian church in the UNESCO fortified-church site: a Gothic church with 1419 frescoes of the legend of Saint Ladislaus, whose fortress villagers still use to store their bacon.
- [Bethlen Castle in Criș](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/castelul-bethlen-cris) — Castles and palaces · Criș, MS · ½ – 1 hours · 28 km
  The most complete Renaissance residence left in Transylvania, seat of the Bethlen family: a tower with soldier reliefs, an arcaded loggia and bastioned walls, now under restoration.
- [Mălâncrav Fortified Church](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/biserica-fortificata-din-malancrav) — Monasteries and churches · Mălâncrav, SB · 34 km
  A 14th-century Gothic church built by the noble Apafi family, with the largest ensemble of Gothic frescoes in Transylvania and a polyptych altarpiece that has stood in place for more than five centuries.
- [Rupea Fortress](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cetatea-rupea) — Fortresses and fortifications · Rupea, BV · 20 lei · 1 – 1½ hours · Top 100 · 34 km
  A Saxon peasant fortress climbing in tiers up a basalt hill above the town of Rupea, first recorded in 1324 and restored in 2010–2013, with wide views over the Transylvanian hills.

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Last updated: 1 October 2026
Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania