# Copșa Mare Fortified Church [Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Transylvania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/transilvania) › [Sibiu County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/sibiu) › [Copșa Mare](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/locality/copsa-mare) > A Saxon church fortified around 1510, with a tall choir under a star vault, a bell tower with a timber gallery and a winegrowers' village around it, in the Wine Country. **At a glance:** Churches in Copșa Mare, Sibiu County. The visit takes 30 min. Information verified on 10 October 2026. ## Key facts - **Opening hours:** There is no published official visiting schedule. To visit, contact the Fortified Churches Foundation in Sibiu (+40 269 22 10 10, office@kirchenburgen.org) or the association Pro Groß Kopisch e.V. - **Visit duration:** 30 min — estimate, church and courtyard - **Parking:** Yes, free — next to the complex - **Address:** Copșa Mare nr. 237, Copșa Mare, Sibiu County - **Coordinates:** 46.13332, 24.54981 - **Website:** https://kirchenburgen.org/location/grosskopisch-copsa-mare/ - **Wikipedia:** https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biserica_fortificat%C4%83_din_Cop%C8%99a_Mare - **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q18543875 - **Categories:** [Churches](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/churches), [Fortresses and fortifications](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/fortresses-and-fortifications) ## About Copșa Mare Fortified Church Copșa Mare (Großkopisch in German) is a Saxon village on the Târnava Plateau, first mentioned in 1283 and once known for some of the most extensive vineyards in the Wine Country. The church began in the early 14th century as a Gothic basilica with three aisles and a tower at the west end. Around 1510 it was turned into a fortified church: the side aisles were removed, the nave walls were raised and given arrow slits, and the choir received a defensive storey so that it could cover the village from the hill above. In the 16th century the complex was enclosed by an irregular four-sided curtain wall with a square tower at the north-east corner. In 1795–1797 the nave received a Baroque vault, and the Classicist altar dates from 1854. ### What you can see From outside you can pick out the bell tower with its timber parapet walk and pyramidal roof, the tall choir with its defensive storey, and the enclosure wall with the corner tower. Inside, the choir keeps its star vault with exposed brick ribs and its Gothic windows with central mullions; there are also the Classicist altar with Corinthian columns and a Baroque crown, the organ of 1800, and the Baroque pulpit canopy and font. The two-storey sacristy of 1519 has a chapel on the upper floor and a Renaissance doorway. ### Good to know The church is looked after by the German association Pro Groß Kopisch e.V., and the Fortified Churches Foundation has carried out emergency works here since 2017; the latest, in autumn 2025, repaired the nave roof covering, which a larger project is still meant to renew. There is no published official visiting schedule. ## Don't miss - The tall choir with its star vault and Gothic windows with central mullions. - The bell tower with its timber parapet walk and pyramidal roof. - The two-storey sacristy of 1519, with a Renaissance doorway and a chapel upstairs. - The enclosure wall with the corner tower in the north-east. - The Classicist altar of 1854, with Corinthian columns and a Baroque crown. ## Good to know before you go ### Getting there **By car:** Copșa Mare is ~10 km from Biertan, to the east; Sighișoara is ~33 km away, Mediaș ~34 km, Sibiu ~77 km and Brașov ~150 km. Some sources describe the last stretch of road as poor, so allow more time than the map suggests. **Public transport:** no regular public transport to Copșa Mare is known. The nearest major railway stations are in Mediaș and Sighișoara, from where you continue by car or taxi. ### Where to park An older source mentions free parking below the complex; there is no recent confirmation. ### Fees & discounts There are no published official charges. An older source mentions entry by voluntary donation. ### Rules It is a working place of worship and a fragile monument: dress modestly, keep your voice down, ask before photographing inside and do not climb into the defensive areas without an escort. ### Facilities No visitor facilities known · no wheelchair access, according to an older source ## Details - **Construction period:** 14th–16th centuries - **State of preservation:** good - **Denomination:** Evangelical - **Architectural style:** Gothic ## Frequently asked questions about Copșa Mare Fortified Church **How long does a visit to Copșa Mare Fortified Church take?** A visit to Copșa Mare Fortified Church takes about 30 min (estimate, church and courtyard). **Where can I park at Copșa Mare Fortified Church?** There is free parking at Copșa Mare Fortified Church (next to the complex). More under “Where to park”. **How do I get to Copșa Mare Fortified Church?** Copșa Mare Fortified Church is located at Copșa Mare nr. 237, Copșa Mare, Sibiu County. More under “Getting there”. ## Nearby attractions - [Biertan Fortified Church](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/biertan-fortified-church) — Churches · Biertan, SB · ½ – 1 hours · UNESCO World Heritage · Top 20 · 3 km The Saxon church on the hill in the middle of the village, guarded by three rings of walls and towers; inside, Romania's largest polyptych altarpiece and a door with a lock from 1515. - [Richiș Fortified Church](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/richis-fortified-church) — Churches · Richiș, SB · 45 min · 9 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. - [Mălâncrav Fortified Church](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/malancrav-fortified-church) — Churches · Mălâncrav, SB · 10 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. - [Apafi Castle in Dumbrăveni](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/apafi-castle-in-dumbraveni) — Castles and palaces · Dumbrăveni, SB · 30 min · 14 km A 16th-century Renaissance castle in the centre of Dumbrăveni, home of Prince Mihai Apafi I; today partly ruined, it houses a collection on Transylvanian Armenians and is due to be restored. - [Bethlen Castle in Criș](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/bethlen-castle-in-cris) — Castles and palaces · Criș, MS · ½ – 1 hours · 14 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. - [Moșna Fortified Church](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/mosna-fortified-church) — Churches · Moșna, SB · ½ – 1 hours · 17 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. --- Full page: https://peplaiuri.ro/en/copsa-mare-fortified-church Other languages: Română: https://peplaiuri.ro/biserica-fortificata-din-copsa-mare.md · Deutsch: https://peplaiuri.ro/de/kirchenburg-von-copsa-mare.md · Italiano: https://peplaiuri.ro/it/chiesa-fortificata-di-copsa-mare.md · Français: https://peplaiuri.ro/fr/eglise-fortifiee-de-copsa-mare.md · Español: https://peplaiuri.ro/es/iglesia-fortificada-de-copsa-mare.md · Magyar: https://peplaiuri.ro/hu/nagykapusi-erodtemplom.md Last updated: 10 October 2026 Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania