Biertan fortified church

Biertan Fortified Church
Biserica fortificată din Biertan
Religion
AffiliationLutheran
Location
LocationBiertan, Sibiu County Romania
Geographic coordinates46°08′07″N 24°31′17″E / 46.135198°N 24.521323°E / 46.135198; 24.521323
Architecture
TypeFortified church
StyleGothic
Groundbreaking1486
Completed1524
Official name: Villages with fortified churches in Transylvania
TypeCultural
Criteriaiv
Designated1993 (17th session)
1999 (23rd session – Extension)
Reference no.596
State PartyRomania
RegionEurope and North America
Official name: Historic monuments in Sibiu County
Typearchitectural
Reference no.LMI Code: SB-II-a-A-12328

The Biertan fortified church (Romanian: Biserica fortificată din Biertan; German: Kirchenburg von Birthälm) is a Lutheran fortified church in Biertan (German: Birthälm), Sibiu County, in the Transylvania region of Romania. It was built by the ethnic German Transylvanian Saxon community at a time when the area belonged to the Kingdom of Hungary. Briefly Roman Catholic, it became Evangelical Lutheran following the Reformation. Together with the surrounding village, the church forms part of the villages with fortified churches in Transylvania UNESCO World Heritage Site.