# Valea Viilor Fortified Church

[Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Transylvania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/transilvania) › [Sibiu County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/sibiu) › [Valea Viilor](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/locality/valea-viilor)

> 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.

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

**At a glance:** Churches in Valea Viilor, Sibiu County. Opening hours: Monday–Saturday 09:00 – 17:00, Sunday closed. Ticket: 8 lei. Information verified on 1 October 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** Monday–Saturday 09:00 – 17:00, Sunday closed — Monday–Saturday, with a break between 12:00 and 14:00, according to the hours published by the Mediaș Lutheran Deanery. The church is opened by the custodian who lives in the village; the county tourism website says there are no fixed hours and visits should be arranged in advance — phone ahead, especially in winter and on Sundays.
- **Ticket:** 8 lei — free with the Kirchenburgenpass
- **Best season:** April – October — in winter, phone ahead
- **Address:** Strada Principală 341, Valea Viilor, Sibiu County
- **Coordinates:** 46.08318, 24.27724
- **Phone:** +40 755 980 445
- **Website:** https://bezirkmediasch.ro/wurmloch-valea-viilor/
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valea_Viilor_fortified_church
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q17029338
- **Categories:** [Churches](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/churches), [Fortresses and fortifications](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/fortresses-and-fortifications)

## About Valea Viilor Fortified Church

Valea Viilor, known to the Saxons as Wurmloch, appears in documents as early as 1263, and in the middle of the village stands one of the best-preserved fortified churches in Transylvania. The Gothic hall church was built in the 14th century on the site of an older Romanesque basilica and rebuilt in the following century; sources disagree on the exact date. Around 1500 the community turned it into a stronghold, and the ensemble has survived almost unchanged.

Precisely because its defences survive almost in full, the church was added in 1999 to the UNESCO site "Villages with Fortified Churches in Transylvania". The last restoration work dates from 1996–1997, and since 2022 the National Heritage Institute has been preparing the project for a new one.

### What you can see

From outside, the most striking part is the choir: it was raised like a tower, with three brick defence levels and walls one and a half metres thick, and above them a fourth level, with a timber-framed parapet, projects on arches resting on the buttresses. Another defence level sits above the nave, with loopholes and murder holes. At the entrance bearing the date 1525 the **portcullis** survives, the sliding grille of iron-reinforced timber that was lowered during a siege, a feature rarely preserved in fortified churches.

The church is ringed by an oval wall 6–7 m high, with a covered wall-walk on brick arcades, bastions and a gate tower. Inside, beneath the net vault, you can see the choir stalls of 1528, from the transition between Gothic and Renaissance, the sacrament niche of 1504 with a relief of Christ as the Man of Sorrows, the Baroque altarpiece of 1779 with the Crucifixion, painted by Stephan Folbarth of Sighișoara, and the organ built by Melchior Achxs in 1807–1808.

### Good to know

The church is opened by the custodian who lives in the village; outside opening hours or in winter, phone ahead.

## Don't miss

- The choir raised like a tower, with four defence levels, the top one projecting on arches between the buttresses.
- The portcullis at the entrance dated 1525, the iron-reinforced timber grille lowered during a siege.
- The covered wall-walk of the oval enclosure, resting on brick arcades.
- The choir stalls of 1528 and the sacrament niche of 1504, with a relief of Christ as the Man of Sorrows.
- The Baroque altarpiece of 1779, painted by Stephan Folbarth of Sighișoara, with the Crucifixion at its centre.

## Good to know before you go

### Getting there

**By car:** from the DN14, between Mediaș and Copșa Mică, turn south onto the DJ142G, then ~5 km more to the village centre. Mediaș is ~15 km away (~20 minutes), Sibiu ~50 km (~1 hour) and Sighișoara ~52 km (~1 hour).

**Public transport:** the nearest railway station is Copșa Mică, ~8 km away, from where you continue by taxi. The UNESCO Bus blue line (Sibiu–Sighișoara) stops in Valea Viilor all year round on certain days of the week, by online reservation only, made in advance.

### Where to park

The county tourism website lists parking for cars and coaches next to the church, in the village centre. Charges are not published.

### Fees & discounts

A ticket costs 8 lei per person, according to the Mediaș Lutheran Deanery. Entry is free with the Kirchenburgenpass (Transilvania Card). Guided tours in German on request.

### Facilities

small museum of Saxon culture at the entrance · souvenir shop · toilets · viewpoint

## Details

- **Construction period:** 14th–16th centuries
- **Founder:** the Saxon community
- **State of preservation:** good
- **Dedication:** Saint Peter
- **Denomination:** Evangelical
- **Architectural style:** Gothic

## Frequently asked questions about Valea Viilor Fortified Church

**How much is a ticket to Valea Viilor Fortified Church?**

A ticket to Valea Viilor Fortified Church costs 8 lei (free with the Kirchenburgenpass). More under “Fees & discounts”.

**What are the opening hours of Valea Viilor Fortified Church?**

Opening hours at Valea Viilor Fortified Church: Monday–Saturday 09:00 – 17:00, Sunday closed. More under “Opening hours”.

**How do I get to Valea Viilor Fortified Church?**

Valea Viilor Fortified Church is located at Strada Principală 341, Valea Viilor, Sibiu County. More under “Getting there”.

**When is the best time to visit Valea Viilor Fortified Church?**

The best season for Valea Viilor Fortified Church: April – October (in winter, phone ahead).

## Nearby attractions

- [Axente Sever Fortified Church](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/axente-sever-fortified-church) — Churches · Axente Sever, SB · 45 min · 6 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.
- [Ighișu Nou Fortified Church](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/ighisu-nou-fortified-church) — Churches · Ighișu Nou, SB · 30 min · 8 km
  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.
- [Moșna Fortified Church](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/mosna-fortified-church) — Churches · Moșna, SB · ½ – 1 hours · 12 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.
- [Thobias Castle](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/thobias-castle) — Castles and palaces · Boarta, SB · 20 min · 14 km
  A Baroque manor of 1770 in the village of Boarta, with an arcaded porch and a scrolled pediment; a listed monument in ruins, privately owned and still unrestored.
- [St Margaret's Church, Mediaș](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/st-margaret-s-church-medias) — Churches · Mediaș, SB · 15 lei · ½ – 1 hours · 14 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.
- [Alma Vii Fortified Church](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/alma-vii-fortified-church) — Churches · Alma Vii, SB · 17 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.

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