The Evangelical Fortified Church in Cața

„The Cats’ Village” (Katzendorf) appears relatively late in written documents (around 1400), but the aspect of its church testifies immediately to an origin over a century before.

The edifice is among those well preserving the basilical structure of the nave (end of the thirteenth century), with semicircular arches and tower on the western facade. One can still see today the twin towers of the main nave, located above the side naves. Unhappy about the choir, anyway too long in comparison to the naves, the villagers extended it in the fifteenth century, provided with polygonal ending and only furbished its vault.

Some of the old decorations were on the western facade and can still be seen there today, making viewers wonder how such elements ended up there and what might their meaning be. The bell tower is the result of late restoration and building works (from the nineteenth century), when the strange sacristy was also added to the southern side of the choir.

Unlike other churches, when the defense buildings in Caţa had to be consolidated, they did not affect the church, only its surroundings. The result was a prolonged polygonal curtain wall, provided with four rectangular towers placed on the outside. Two of them are located on the north; one of the southern towers was demolished during the nineteenth century, while the gate tower, on the west, seems to have been only built along the second, outer curtain. The latter might have been built sometime after 1550, as indicated by the constructive family of the south-eastern tower, with the corner along its axis. Another tower, on the northern side, was also demolished.

It is significant that despite other complexes, the outer curtain in Caţa proved to be high and long lasting.

Contact:
Mrs. Markus Anna, phone: 0040268248564, address: Cața, no. 282

Text and photo source: http://www.rupeaturistica.ro/