"St. Mary" Calvaria Church-Cluj

St. Mary Calvaria Church (today Roman Catholic affiliation) was a powerful Benedictine abbey at the western gates of the city of Cluj.
St. Mary Calvaria church in Cluj
Surrounded by defensive walls, the Calvaria Church was built on the hills of Manastur village, starting from the 9th-10th centuries and completed 1095, in Romanesque style.
It was destroyed and rebuilt many times, changing many masters and affiliations.
Calvaria church in Cluj
The current monastery of Calvaria was built between 1470 and 1508 in gothic style, replacing the old church.
This is how Calvaria Church looks after the last restoration between 1995-1997.

Over the years all artistic assets were lost except a statue of the Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus.
Calvaria church-west frontVirgin Mary statue at Calvaria church in Cluj
As you can see in the picture, the statue is placed on a pedestal, above the entrance door.
Belfry-Calvaria churchThe belfry-Calvaria churchIn the pictures at the left you can see the belfry designed in 1922 by the renowned Hungarian architect Karoly Koss.

Both the church and the belfry have their own hill, the two being separated by an abyss.
Manastur district-Calvaria
As I turn to the right, the new Manastur district reveals itself with it's large apartment ensembles built in the communist era.

At that time, many churches and monuments were pulled down to make place for these high-density apartment blocks.

6 comments:

Danton said...

Interesting photos. Liked most the clear blue sky of the last one.

Jean-Luc said...

A beautiful reporting , with pleasant pics. Cluj (napoca ? ) look like a beautiful city

catcent said...

Démolir de telle beautée,j'espère que maintenant ils les conservent.J'ai été voir tes 3 cases d'architecture, ils sont magnifique. Bye A+

eileeninmd said...

Wonderful photos! Thanks for sharing your scenic Sunday.

Bradley Hsi said...

Amazing how the history evolved. The magic is it is still there and performing its function. Thanks for sharing.

Janie said...

Beautiful monestary and surrounding grounds, a wonderful tour.

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