Fortified churches and their sundials

 The picturesque fortified churches of Transylvania are quite known and  their towers and fortifications are all over the internet and social  media. But lately I’m very much drawn by details. Last weekend I happily report that I have added a new finding to my collection of sundials found on the fortified churches. 

The sundials show the time by the  shadow of a pointer cast by the sun on to a plate marked with the hours  of the day. 

Cincșor (Kleinschenk in German, Kissink in Hungarian)

Only the plate of a sundial is preserved on the fortification wall of  the Evangelic Church in Cincșor. The ensemble was restored recently and  the remains of the sundial were secured. It cannot tell the hour  anymore, but surly looks great in the sundown!

Dipșa (Dürrbach in German, Dipse in Hungarian)

The former Evangelic church, nowadays Orthodox is famous for displaying a saw on  the buttress. It is said that the animal discovered the treasure  burried and lost by the ancestors of those who later built the church  with that treasure. The animal recived an honoured seat. As the sundial  laying next to it, on the neighboring buttress. 

Reghin (Sächsisch Reen in German, Szászrégen in Hungarian) 

The city Evangelic church in the small, but lovely town of Reghin has  been repaired last year. Has many little and bigger things to be  discovered and among those is the sundial, painted on the southern  buttress in 1630 (the year appears above). The electrical conductors  above are pretty new, don’t get fooled by their ancient appearance. 

 If I see any other sundials, rest assured, I will add them here. In the  meanwhile, hunt them by yourself or just enjoy reading the book that has  them all (almost): Sundials from Transylvania, Banat, Crișana and Maramureș. It’s the only publication on the topic that I know, so go for it.