The wall of the Fortified Church in Moșna, a heritage monument “very important for the whole of Transylvania”, collapsed. “Should have intervened a long time ago”
A portion of the enclosure wall of the Fortified Church in Moșna, Sibiu county, collapsed on the night of Friday to Saturday, around 01:40, without causing casualties, the local press and the Ministry of Culture reported. Authorities secured the area and suspended scheduled visits this weekend, and the Ministry of Culture said it was monitoring the situation with heritage specialists.
According to the mayor Gabriel Dumitru Nuțu, the degradation of the monument was known, but there was concern especially regarding a watchtower, not the wall that collapsed.
“It was clear that there was a wobble, but we did not expect that this particular section would give way. Everyone was thinking about the tower, not the wall,” explained the councilor for the Council Tower.
He explains that around 1:30 a.m., a section of the wall collapsed “out of the blue,” affecting a roughly five-century-old structure.
The Edilul said that the area was cordoned off immediately after the incident, together with the Local Police and the Inspectorate for Emergency Situations. He appreciated that the fact that the incident occurred at night meant that no one was injured, as there is a school nearby and the area is frequented by tourists and children.
“It should have intervened a long time ago, not yesterday or today. We are talking about an old structure, built on oak pillars, with a history of almost 500 years. We, including those from the Evangelical Consistory, have been trying to find projects, to find financing for such a large-scale work, but so far we have not found requests”, says the mayor.
“The 400-year-old wall is now on the ground, but I hope that through the selflessness and understanding of all the authorities we will succeed in restoring this fortification which is very important for the whole of Transylvania, for the whole area of Transylvania and especially for the Moșna commune,” the mayor added.
The mayor also told Euronews that the Butcher's Tower also has stability problems and has been provisionally supported for about a decade.
“Interventions have been blocked administratively”
The Director of the Sibiu County Culture Directorate, Dan Nanu, stated that the degradation of the ensemble was known for several years and that there were projects and interventions that were not completed, which left the structure vulnerable.
“I reported the situation to the ministry and there were teams in the field. Degradation was detected and an attempt was made to secure the area. The church premises were closed, which is a group A historical monument complex, therefore of national importance. Also, all the visits announced for today and tomorrow were canceled pending a complete technical evaluation and a new inter-institutional commission that will meet on Monday,” explains Dan Nanu.
“There were projects and emergency interventions, but some were not carried through to the end. In the absence of a final reception and clarification of the cadastral situation, it was not possible to advance sufficiently,” he said.
The fortified church in Moșna is one of the most important fortified Gothic complexes in the Târnavel area, with a defensive structure erected since the 16th century. Its enclosure walls, towers and bastions were designed as a defense system against Ottoman incursions.
The Ministry of Culture reported that the collapse affected part of the northern wall of the enclosure and that no casualties were reported. The institution stated that the monument was secured immediately after the incident, and the guided visits scheduled for June 13 and 14 were canceled.
According to the Ministry of Culture, the North Tower of the fortification benefited from safety works in 2017. The local authorities, the Sibiu County Directorate for Culture and the heritage specialists are to establish the necessary measures for the safety of the affected elements and for the conservation of the monument.
