The village of Hosman was our first stop during our weekend in the Sibiu County and it was such a delight to be welcomed in this village by a beautiful view of the fortified church and the Făgăraș Mountains still covered in snow after the winter.

Hosman is a village 25 kilometers away from Sibiu, in the direction of Agnita, as old as the XIII century and as many other villages in the area, it has a beautiful fortified church.

How did all these fortified churches appear in Transylvania? It’s all because of the Saxons. The Saxons had been sent in Transylvania (when Romania didn’t exist yet) in the XII – XIII centuries by the Hungarian Kingdom to protect the area from the conquerors that would come from the south and east. The Saxons were Germanic by origin and they settled in these villages, keeping alive (even today) their habits and traditions.

During this time, Transylvania went through a period of prosperity, economically and culturally speaking, as the Saxons were very good craftsmen. It is said that they had a huge contribution in ‘civilizing’ Transylvania, as they came with more modern approaches when moving in.

Today, we can see in the old Saxon villages the beautiful architecture they left behind. Houses built differently than in other areas of Romania, with specific colors and patterns.

The main architectural evidence of the Saxons living in Transylvania are the fortified churches that they left behind, churches that are incredibly beautiful and most of them, in a very good condition even today.

The Church from Hosman is a XIII century Romanesque basilica that got its fortifications in the XVI century, to protect it and the village people from enemy attacks.

The precinct around the church was built in the 15^th century together with a double mantle wall with two towers on the outer wall and four on the interior wall. The gate tower unites the two precincts and still keeps the wooden portcullis above which the year of 1502 is still visible.

Inside the church there are specific paintings and wall sculptures of the era it was built in : animal like sculptures, fantastic or biblical characters, supernatural beings.

They also have a small museum with traditional artifacts from the area.

The church is open for visiting starting 1st of April until the end of Autumn. There is a poster with a phone number on the gate, at the entrance, in case the gate is closed. We called the number and the local guide came and allowed us to visit the church.