The fortified Protestant church is the oldest and most important monument in Codlea. The church dates back to the second half of the 13th century and was dedicated to St George and St Michael. It is the only church in Țara Barsei without a bell tower. Only the western portal of the original Romanesque church has been preserved.

In the 15th century, the place of worship (House of God) was transformed into a Gothic church hall. The ceiling with 252 painted wooden panels was created in 1702. In 1709, the parish acquired the organ using the inheritance of the Saxon Count Sachs von Harteneck. In 1789, Johann Prause from Silesia built a new organ using the old one, which is now one of the most valuable instruments of its kind in Transylvania.

The neo-Gothic altar, donated by the Women's Association, dates from 1904, as does the neo-Gothic baptismal font, while the pulpit was built in 1841.

The fortified church has an oval plan with a diameter of 85 metres and is the largest fortified church in Țara Barsei.

Apart from an interruption to the south-east (the Town Hall building), the 8 to 10-metre-high defensive wall is almost completely preserved. As in the other communities in Țara Barsei, its inner ring has rooms for storing fruit (winter provisions). Three of the four defence towers are still standing today: the Weberturm (Weavers' Tower), the Böttcherturm (actually “Bednerturm” or Timber Carpenters' Tower) and the Schmiedeturm (Blacksmiths' Tower), which has been converted into a bell tower.

The 65-metre-high belfry, with its four bells, stands south-east of the church.

Between 1979-1982 extensive restoration work was carried out on the fortified church, mainly with the help of the voluntary labour of the inhabitants of the 26 neighbourhoods of Codlea.

Sursă foto: metropola.ro