Black Church
Brașov, Romania · built 1383
The Black Church (Romanian: Biserica Neagră, Die Schwarze Kirche, Hungarian: Fekete templom), stands in the city of Brașov in south-eastern Transylvania, Romania. It was built by the local Transylvanian Saxon (German) community of the city during medieval times and represents the main Gothic-style monument in the country, as well as being the largest and one of the most important houses of worship in the region which belong to the Lutheran, i.e., Evangelical Church of Augustan Confession in Romania. Author Judit Petki contends that, contrary to a widely held view, the Black Church received its dark appearance not as a result of the fire which affected much of the city in 1689, but only in recent times due to pollution. The current popular name is apparently a 19th-century creation. The cathedral, a working church, is the main city landmark of historical Brașov, and a museum is open to visitors.
Petki calls the view that the Black Church got its name because it was sooted by the 1689 Brașov fire, a misconception. She bases her view on 21st-century studies, which have found no evidence of fire destruction; the church has blackened simply because of environmental pollution after Brașov has turned into an industrial city in the 19th century. Furthermore, the name "Black Church" was not used until the end of the 19th century.
The originally Roman Catholic structure was known as the Church of Saint Mary, replacing an older building used for the same purpose. Construction on it began during the late 14th century, at an unknown date; analysis of related evidence has led several researchers to conclude that work began between 1383 and 1385, employing Bulgarian workers and craftsmen who proceeded to establish the Brașov Bulgarian colony in Șcheii Brașovului. According to popular legend, a German child was disturbing the Bulgarian builders or told them that one of the walls was leaning. An annoyed Bulgarian pushed the child off the church tower and then immured his corpse in the church to conceal his crime. It is known that, in its first stages, the building was serviced by a priest named Thomas (died 1410), whose grave is located
Cathedral data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).