Cârța Abbey

Cârța was founded around 1202 by Cistercian monks, probably from Burgundy by way of Igriș, and it introduced early Gothic architecture to Transylvania: the pointed arches and rib vaults here are among the oldest in the region, and their influence spread through the Saxon churches built afterwards. The abbey was dissolved in 1474 and its estates transferred to the town of Sibiu, after which the nave was abandoned and fell in, leaving the choir standing and still in use as the parish church of the Lutheran community. That is the state today: a roofless nave open to the sky with grass between the pillar bases, and beyond it a working church under the original vaults. A small graveyard fills part of the ruin. It stands directly on the main road under the north face of the Făgăraș, and most people drive past without noticing.

History

Cistercian monks from the mother abbey of Igriș founded the monastery between 1198 and 1208, first in wood, and added a small stone chapel around 1210-1215. The main church was begun between 1220 and 1230 in Romanesque style and, after a pause around the Mongol invasion of 1241, resumed in 1260 under a new architect trained in mature Gothic; the monastery was dissolved on 27 February 1474, and the church now belongs to the local Lutheran Saxon community (Wikipedia, Cârța Monastery).

Highlights

• The roofless nave - open arcades and pillar bases under the sky.
• The surviving choir - the vaulted eastern end still used as a church.
• Early Gothic detail - some of the oldest pointed arches in Transylvania.
• The Făgăraș backdrop - the mountain wall rising directly behind the village.

When to go

April to October. The site opens irregularly outside the season and the key is held locally. Morning light works best on the ruin. The mountains behind are clearest in autumn.

Good to know

The ruin is small and a visit takes half an hour. Opening is unreliable and the church may be locked with no one about. There is no interpretation on site to speak of. It is a stop rather than a destination, best combined with the drive along the Făgăraș foothills.

Nearby

Sâmbăta de Sus monastery is east; the Transfăgărășan turns off the same road.

Key facts