Seen as a new stage in a long history, as adaptive reuse is by no means a new practice, the present study deals with the transformation of Lutheran and Greek-Catholic churches taken over and used by the Orthodox Church from the middle of the twentieth century to the present day. I am particularly interested in how the churches were adapted to meet new needs, such as the addition of murals or iconostases where these did previously not exist.

Since many of the masonry churches that suffered such radical transformations are in Bistrița-Năsăud County, I chose to analyse the most interesting cases found here. As information on this type of adaptive reuse is scarce, with the monuments’ historiography focusing mainly on their older construction phases, I visited most of the churches dealt with in this study to observe their current state on site.

The stories of those places of worship still standing which have undergone various interventions close to correct restorations, and whose takeover by the Orthodox Church meant their salvation from decay, is countered by those that were renovated in a vernacular and clumsy manner, for example, losing their high altars and organs,  or suffering the addition of heavy iconostases and neo-Byzantine murals that ignored the medieval architecture of the original building. The worst cases presented here are those that have been completely abandoned after the parish raised the money needed to build a new church, and were thus left to gradually decay, their “adaptive reuse” becoming irreversible.

[1] Alexandru Vidican, ed., Protopopiatul Ortodox Român Bistrița. Monografie – Album [Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Bistrița. Monograph - Album] (Bistrița: Editura Karuna, 2008).

[2] Georg Gerster and Martin Rill, Siebenbürgen im Flug. Das deutsche Siedlungsgebiet: Seine Kirchenburgen, Dörfer, Städte und Landschaften (München: Mandarin Offset Ltd., 1997).

[3] Virgil Pop, Restaurarea bisericilor medievale în epoca barocă [Restoration of Medieval Churches in the Baroque Era] (Cluj-Napoca: Technical University in Cluj-Napoca, habilitation thesis, 2015), 85.

[4] Ibid., 10–11.

[5] Ibid., 104–107.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Ibid., 92–98, 109–112.

[8] Ibid., 88–90.

[9] Ibid., 85.

[10] Ibid.

[11] Ibid., 98–104.

[12] Alexandru Mircea, Pamfil Cârnațiu, Mircea Todericiu, “Calvarul Bisericii Unite” [The Calvary of the Greek-Catholic Church], Biserica Română Unită.  250 de ani de istorie [The Uniate Romanian Church. 250 Years of History] (Madrid, 1952), 175.

[13] Nicoleta Ionescu-Gură, Stalinizarea României. Republica Populară Română: 1948–1950. Transformări instituționale [Romania’s Stalinization. The Romanian People’s Republic: 1948–1950. Institutional Transformations] (Bucharest: Editura ALL, 2005), 400–401.

[14] In the USSR the 1920s brought the closing of monasteries, which were then emptied of gold, icons, and cult possessions. See Florentina Dolghin, “1917–1930. Biserica rusă nu crede în lacrimi” [1917–1930. The Russian Church Doesn’t Believe in Tears], Magazin Istoric XXVI, 3 (300) (1992), 64.

[15] Ionescu-Gură, Stalinizarea, 406.

[16] Ibid., 540.

[17] Mircea et alii, “Calvarul”, 175.

[18] William Totok, “Germanii din Romania între nazism și Stalinism” [The Germans from Romania between Nazism and Stalinism], Observator cultural (December 2, 2003), visited on November 2, 2024, https://www.observatorcultural.ro/articol/germanii-din-romania-intre-nazism-si-stalinism/.

[19] Mircea et alii, “Calvarul”, 175.

[20] Vidican, Protopopiatul, 21; 95–96; 99–100; 110; 142–144; 161; 171–172; 211.

[21] Dan-Florin Bota, “Parohia Ortodoxă Română Sângeorzu Nou” [The Romanian Orthodox Parish Sângeorzu Nou], in Vidican, ed., Protopopiatul, 161.

[22] Ioan Vidican, “Parohia Ortodoxă Română Arcalia” [The Romanian Orthodox Parish Arcalia], in Vidican, ed., Protopopiatul, 20–21.

[23] Klára P. Kovács, “Fosta biserică evanghelică (azi ortodoxă) din Tărpiu” [The Former Lutheran (Orthodox at Present) Church in Tărpiu], Transindex (February 5, 2011), visited on November 17, 2023, http://enciclopedie.transindex.ro/monument.php?id=374.

[24] Ion Dumitru Pintea, pr. paroh, “Parohia Ortodoxă Română Crainimăt” [The Romanian Orthodox Parish Crainimăt], in Vidican, ed., Protopopiatul, 90.

[25] P. Kovács, “Tărpiu”.

[26] Pop, Restaurarea, 112–116.

[27] Liviuț Tătar, pr. paroh, “Parohia Ortodoxă Română Dipșa” [The Romanian Orthodox Parish Crainimăt], in Vidican, ed., Protopopiatul, 95–96.

[28] ***, “Parohia ortodoxă Feldru I”, Protopopiatul Ortodox Român Năsăud, visited on December 5, 2023, http://www.protopopiatulnasaud.ro/parohia-ortodoxa-feldru-i/.

[29] Pop, Restaurarea, 98–103.

[30] Ioan Păcurari, “Filia Albeștii Bistriței” [The Parish Branch Albeștii Bistriței], in Vidican, ed., Protopopiatul, 110.

[31] P. Kovács, “Tărpiu”.

[32] Beáta Bordás, “Fosta biserică evanghelică fortificată (actuala biserică ortodoxă) din Vermeş” [The Former Lutheran Fortified Church (at Present Orthodox) in Vermeş], Transindex (March 14, 2011), visited on November 17, 2023, http://enciclopedie.referinte.transindex.ro/print.php?lang=ro&id=351.

[33] Klára P. Kovács, “Fosta biserică evanghelică, azi biserica ortodoxă „Sf. Arhangheli Mihail şi Gavriil” din Corvineşti” [The Former Lutheran Church, at Present Orthodox Dedicated to Saint Archangels Michael and Gabriel in Corvineşti], Transindex (February 14, 2011), visited on November 17, 2023, https://referinte.transindex.ro/enciclopedie/monument.php?id=370.

[34] Ibid.

[35] Ibid.

[36] Pop, Restaurarea, 112–116.

[37] Ibid., 134–139.

[38] P. Kovács, “Tărpiu”.

[39] Bordás, “Vermeş”.

[40] P. Kovács, “Tărpiu”.

[41] Pop, Restaurarea, 124–129.

[42] P. Kovács, “Tărpiu”.

[43] Pop, Restaurarea, 92–97.

[44] Ibid.

[45] P. Kovács 2011; Pop, Restaurarea, 92.

[46] Ibid., 92–97.

[47] Ibid.

[48] ***, “Parohia ortodoxă Feldru I”.

[49] Ibid.

[50] Lucian Ioan Blaga, “Parohia Ortodoxă Română Domnești” [The Romanian Orthodox Parish Domnești], in Vidican, ed., Protopopiatul, 97–98.

[51] Ciprian Marcu, “Parohia Ortodoxă Română” [The Romanian Orthodox Parish Orheiul Bistriței], in Vidican, ed., Protopopiatul, 140–141.

[52] Gavril Preda, pr. paroh, “Parohia Ortodoxă Română Unirea” [The Romanian Orthodox Parish Unirea], in Vidican, ed., Protopopiatul, 203–204.

[53] Vladimir Marius Clem, pr. paroh, “Parohia Ortodoxă Română Milaș” [The Romanian Orthodox Parish Milaș], in Vidican, ed., Protopopiatul, 130–131.

[54] Ștefan Borodi, “Parohia Ortodoxă Română Bârla-Sântioana” [The Romanian Orthodox Parish Bârla-Sântioana], in Vidican, ed., Protopopiatul, 26–27.

[55] Viorel Alexandru Stanciu, “Parohia Ortodoxă Română Viișoara” [The Romanian Orthodox Parish Viișoara], in Vidican, ed., Protopopiatul, 211.

[56] Pop, Restaurarea, 124–129.

[57] Ioan Vidican, “Parohia Ortodoxă Română Arcalia” [The Romanian Orthodox Parish Arcalia], in Vidican, ed., Protopopiatul, 21.

[58] Pop, Restaurarea, 124–129.

[59] Dorel Moldovan, “Parohia Ortodoxă Română Dorolea” [The Romanian Orthodox Parish Dorolea], in Vidican, ed., Protopopiatul, 99–100.

[60] Vasile Tomoroga, “Parohia Ortodoxă Română Petriș” [The Romanian Orthodox Parish Petriș], in Vidican, ed., Protopopiatul, 142–144.

[61] Ibid.

[62] P. Kovács, “Tărpiu”.

[63] Păcurari, “Albeștii Bistriței”, 110.

[64] P. Kovács, “Corvineşti”.

[65] Stanciu, “Viișoara”, 211.

[66] Tomoroga, “Petriș”, 142–144.

[67] Simion Rad, “Parohia Ortodoxă Română Sigmir” [The Romanian Orthodox Parish Sigmir], in Vidican, ed., Protopopiatul, 171–172.

[68] Ibid.

[69] Bota, “Sângeorzu Nou”, 161.

[70] Tomoroga, “Petriș”, 142–144.

[71] Pop, Restaurarea, 98–103.

[72] Ibid.

[73] Bordás, “Vermeş”.

[74] Pop, Restaurarea, 134–139.

[75] Ion Lucian Petraș, “BISERICA EVANGHELICĂ VERMEȘ – un nou strigăt de ajutor!” [The Lutheran Church in Vermeș – A New Cry for Help!], PATRIMONIUL TRANSILVAN (April 26, 2021), visited on November 17, 2023, https://patrimoniultransilvan.wordpress.com/2021/04/26/biserica-evanghelica-vermes-un-nou-strigat-de-ajutor/.

[76] Dorottya Makay, Tamás Emődi, Carmen Florescu, “Theoretical, Legal, and Technical Issues Related to Safeguarding Ruins: The Example of the Choir of the Lutheran Church in Jelna”, Transsylvania Nostra Journal, 1 (2017), 12–28.

[77] Pop, Restaurarea, 130–133.

Fig. 1. The former Lutheran church in Dipșa, now Orthodox. © Ioana Rus-Cacovean.

Fig. 2. The high altar of the church in Dipșa, hidden behind the iconostasis. © Ioana Rus-Cacovean.

Fig. 3. The former Lutheran church in Vermeș, now Ortodox. © Ioana Rus-Cacovean.

Fig. 4. The collapsed Rococo vault in Vermeș. © Ioana Rus-Cacovean.

Fig. 5. The abandoned Gothic church in Corvinești. © Ioana Rus-Cacovean.

Fig. 6. Decaying interior of the church in Corvinești. © Ioana Rus-Cacovean.

Fig. 7. The Gothic door frame of the church in Sângeorzu Nou, doubled with cement sgraffito. © Ioana Rus-Cacovean.

Fig. 8. Figurative relief made with cement sgraffito inside the portico the church in Sângeorzu Nou. © Ioana Rus-Cacovean.

Fig. 9. Cement sgraffito friezes on the southern façade of the church in Sângeorzu Nou. © Ioana Rus-Cacovean.

Fig. 10. Contemporary adaptive reuse of a church in Spain. ©Lucho Vidales, “A 100-Year-Old Church in Spain Transformed into a Skate Park Covered in Murals by Okuda San Miguel”, colossal, visited on October 10, 2024, https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2015/12/skate-church-okuda-san-miguel/.

Fig. 11. The western façade of the church in Vermeș. © Ioana Rus-Cacovean.