Stephen's Tower (Baia Mare)

Last updated • 2 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

47°39′30″N23°34′55″E / 47.65833°N 23.58194°E / 47.65833; 23.58194

Stephen's Tower in 2008 TurnulStefan2008.JPG
Stephen's Tower in 2008

Stephen's Tower (Romanian : Turnul Ştefan; Hungarian : Szent István-torony) is a tower located on Citadel Square in Baia Mare, Romania. Over 40 metres (130 ft) high [1] and built in a neo-Gothic style, it is a symbol of the city. [2]

Eventually used for strategic observation and detecting fires, Stephen's Tower was initially a bell tower for Saint Stephen's church, built in 1347-76 as the only double-naved church in mediaeval northwest Transylvania. The church (50.6 m long and 19 m wide, with naves 25 m long), though not quite finished, was dedicated in 1387, when it was first mentioned as St. Stephen's. The bell tower was added in 1446 on the church's southwest side; it was begun during John Hunyadi's reign in honour of his 1442 victory over the Ottomans near the Ialomiţa River and completed in 1468 under his son Matthias Corvinus. [3]

In the mid-16th century the tower and church were partly destroyed by powerful lightning. The tower was rebuilt in 1559-61; [3] the church passed from Roman Catholic to Reformed control in 1588. [4] In 1619 both structures underwent a thorough restoration: the tower received a new roof, high and sharp-pointed, in the shape of a square-based pyramid. In 1628 four mechanical clocks with moons (one on each face), manufactured by a Prešov clockmaker, replaced the tower's bell. [5] Another lightning-induced fire in 1647 devastated the church and tower. Yet another fire seriously damaged both structures when they were again hit by lightning in 1769. The tower was rebuilt the following year, when the gallery was raised a level and the roof redone in Baroque onion-dome style. The church was in ruins and repairs estimated to be very costly, so the authorities decided to demolish its remaining walls in 1847 using gunpowder; [3] the former church site became a park in 1856, with Ferenc Schulz's 1870 plan for rebuilding it remaining unimplemented, [4] and only the bell tower remained standing. This was destroyed by fire in 1869 and rebuilt in 1898-99 in neo-Gothic style, a form it preserves to this day. [3]

The aged light green slate roof was damaged by a storm in 2007; repairs, finished the following year at a cost to the city of some €200,000, included its replacement with a copper roof. The tower is open to visitors. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sighișoara</span> Municipality in Mureș, Romania

Sighișoara is a municipality on the Târnava Mare River in Mureș County, central Romania. Located in the historic region of Transylvania, Sighișoara had a population of 23,927 according to the 2021 census. It is a popular tourist destination for its well-preserved old town, which is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The town administers seven villages: Angofa, Aurel Vlaicu, Hetiur, Rora, Șoromiclea, Venchi, and Viilor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maramureș County</span> County of Romania

Maramureș County is a county (județ) in Romania, in the Maramureș region. The county seat is Baia Mare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baia Mare</span> Municipality in Maramureș, Romania

Baia Mare is a municipality along the Săsar River, in northwestern Romania; it is the capital of Maramureș County. The city lies in the region of Maramureș, a subregion of Transylvania. It is situated about 600 km (373 mi) from Bucharest, 70 km (43 mi) from the border with Hungary, and 50 km (31 mi) from the border with Ukraine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baia Sprie</span> Town in Maramureș, Romania

Baia Sprie is a town in Maramureș County, northern Romania. Baia Sprie is situated at a distance of 9 km (5.6 mi) from Baia Mare and belongs to the Baia Mare metropolitan area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turnul Colței</span> Building in Bucharest, Romania

Turnul Colței was a tower located in Bucharest, Wallachia, now in Romania. Its initial purpose was to be used as a bell tower — its 1,700 kg (3,700 lb) bell, was moved to the Sinaia Monastery after the tower was demolished. It was also meant to serve as a watch tower.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phoenix Copper Smelter</span> Building in Baia Mare, Romania

The Cuprom Phoenix Copper Smelter is a smelter of sulfurous copper ores in Baia Mare, Romania. It has a 351.5 m (1,153 ft) chimney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Millennium Church</span>

The Millennium Church, officially known as the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Heaven, is the largest Roman Catholic church in Timișoara, located in the Romans' Square in the Fabric district. It was built to commemorate 1,000 years since the formation of the Hungarian state, hence its name Millennium. At present, Holy Masses are celebrated in Hungarian, German, Romanian and every Saturday evening in Italian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Nicholas Church, Brașov</span> Orthodox church in Brașov

Saint Nicholas Church is a Romanian Orthodox church in Brașov, dominating the historic district of Șcheii Brașovului. One of the oldest Orthodox churches in the country and an important cultural center for the Romanians in Țara Bârsei, it is documented as being built on the site of a wooden cross dating to 1292. The first mention of the original wooden church dates to 1399, with the stone church built between 1495 and 1519. The church is a registered historic monument of Romania under the LMI Code BV-II-m-A-11589, as part of an ensemble of monuments which also includes the First Romanian School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Călinești Susani church</span>

The Călinești Susani church stands in the village of Călinești, in the Maramureș region of northern Romania. Situated in the Cosău valley, this church is representative for the Moldavian-inspired wooden churches of Maramureș, retaining though the local characteristic roof with two eaves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maramureș</span> Geographical, historical and ethno-cultural region in northern Romania and western Ukraine

Maramureș is a geographical, historical and cultural region in northern Romania and western Ukraine. It is situated in the northeastern Carpathians, along parts of the upper Tisza River drainage basin; it covers the Maramureș Depression and the surrounding Carpathian mountains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romanian Catholic Eparchy of Maramureș</span> Greek Catholic eparchy in Romania

The Romanian Catholic Eparchy of Maramureș is an eparchy of the Romanian Greek Catholic Church which is an Eastern Catholic particular church of the Catholic Church that is in full communion with the Holy See. Its uses the Byzantine Rite in the Romanian language in its liturgical services. It was founded in 1927. It is a suffragan diocese of the Major Archeparchy of Făgăraș and Alba Iulia. The eparchy's cathedral church is the Cathedral of the Assumption which is situated in the city of Baia Mare, Romania. The incumbent eparch is Vasile Bizău.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nativity of St. John the Baptist Church, Piatra Neamț</span> Orthodox church in Neamț, Romania

The Nativity of St. John the Baptist Church, located at 2 Piața Libertății, Piatra Neamț, Romania, is a Romanian Orthodox church. Established by Prince Stephen the Great of Moldavia, it was built in 1497-1498 as part of his royal court in the town. The bell tower dates to the year after the church was completed, and is a symbol of the city. Both church and tower are well preserved examples of late 15th century Moldavian religious architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baia Mare metropolitan area</span> Metropolitan area in Romania, Maramureș

Baia Mare Metropolitan Area (BMMA) is located in northwestern Romania and consists of Baia Mare City and localities found within a distance of 35 km (22 mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of the Holy Archangels, Rogoz</span>

The Church of the Holy Archangels is one of eight Wooden Churches of Maramureș in Romania listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in December 1999. The structure is in the village of Rogoz in the Lăpuș River valley, within the mountainous area of northern Transylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Assumption of Mary Church, Iași</span> Heritage site in Iași County, Romania

The Assumption of Mary Church is a Roman Catholic church located at 26 Ștefan cel Mare și Sfânt Boulevard in Iași, Romania. It is dedicated to the Assumption of Mary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tazlău Monastery</span>

Tazlău Monastery is a Romanian Orthodox Christian monastery located at 188 Ștefan cel Mare Street, Tazlău, Neamț County, Romania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Misericordia Church, Timișoara</span> Church building in Timișoara, Romania

The Misericordia Church, also known as the Cetate Greek Catholic Church, is a Romanian Greek Catholic church located in Timișoara's 700 Square. Dedicated to St. Joseph, the church belonged to the Brothers Hospitallers of Saint John of God and was built between 1748 and 1753. It is the second oldest church in Timișoara and houses the largest icon of St. Joseph in Romania as well as the oldest organ in Banat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. George Serbian Church, Timișoara</span> Serbian Orthodox church in Timișoara, Romania

The St. George Serbian Church is a Serbian Orthodox church in the Fabric district of Timișoara. Located in Trajan Square, it is one of the three Serbian Orthodox churches in the city, along with the Serbian Orthodox Cathedral in Cetate's Union Square and the St. Nicholas Church in Mehala's Avram Iancu Square.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curtea Veche Church</span> Brâncovenesc brick church in Bucharest, Romania

The Curtea Veche Church is a Romanian Orthodox church located at 33 Franceză Street in the Lipscani quarter of Bucharest, Romania. It is dedicated to the Feast of the Annunciation and to Saint Anthony the Great.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">House with Lions</span> Building in Union Square, Timișoara

The House with Lions is a neo-Baroque palace in the northwestern part of the Union Square in Timișoara, Romania. It is classified as a historical monument, being part of the urban site of Timișoara Fortress. After its former owners, the palace is also known as Lajos Weisz House or Sándor Weisz House.

References

  1. "Arhitectura municipiului..."
  2. 1 2 Popescu
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Turnul Sf. Ștefan"
  4. 1 2 Glodici
  5. The two weights, one of them of 80 kg, are kept at the county museum. The original mechanism is lost, but the museum has its successor, which still functions. One of its wheels indicates it was produced in an Oradea workshop in 1895. Ioan Botiș, "De la clepsidra la marile orologii" ("From the Hourglass to the Great Timepieces"), Gazeta de Maramureș