The Transylvanian Reformed Church District said on its website that at the end of the week the tower of the Old Reformed Church in Taxis, Transylvania, collapsed. The abandoned steeple of the church was built in the 18th century
It collapsed late on Saturday evening, and no one was around at the time of the accident.
The Reformed Society of the Province of Bistrica built a fence church in 1691, which was converted into a stone church in 1711 and then rebuilt in 1800.
Experts consider the coffered church’s ceiling, built in 1711, to be especially valuable.
The settlement was inhabited by Saxons and Hungarians. One hundred Lutheran and Hungarian Reformed churches and parishes were built close together. However, due to unstable soil, both temples were damaged. The Saxon community was expelled from the village after World War II, so the settlement of 200 people now had a Hungarian majority.
The Reformed Church bought the parish and the Lutheran Church, and after 2000 rebuilt both. Only the steeple of the Lutheran Church has remained in its original state. Prayers have been held in the reconstructed church since 2005.
Reverend Zabolux Cekele said he and the congregation were sorry for what happened, but they did what they could. The organ and bells were transferred to the new church in 2007. There is also the crown of the pulpit made in 1905, the Moses chair and the priest’s seat. He added that the old tower of the new church now also needs to be renovated and is awaiting the necessary permits to start work.
