Șura Mare (german: Großscheuern; hu, Nagycsűr) is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

located in

Sibiu County Sibiu County () is a county ( ro, județ) of Romania, in the historical region of Transylvania. Its county seat ( ro, reședință de județ) is the namesake town of Sibiu (german: Hermannstadt). Name In Hungarian, it is known as ''Szeben ...

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

. It is composed of two villages, Hamba (''Hahnbach''; '' Kakasfalva'') and Șura Mare. Șura Mare was first mentioned in 1332, and Hamba in 1337. The commune lies on the

Transylvanian Plateau The Transylvanian Plateau ( ro, Podișul Transilvaniei; hu, Erdélyi-medence) is a plateau in central Romania. The plateau lies within and takes its name from the historical region of Transylvania, and is almost entirely surrounded by the Easte ...

. It is situated in the central part of the county, just north of the county seat,

Sibiu Sibiu ( , , german: link=no, Hermannstadt , la, Cibinium, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Härmeschtat'', hu, Nagyszeben ) is a city in Romania, in the historical region of Transylvania. Located some north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles the Ci ...

. The river Hamba flows through the commune. At the 2011 census, 87.53% of inhabitants were

Romanians The Romanians ( ro, români, ; dated exonym ''Vlachs'') are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking ethnic group. Sharing a common Culture of Romania, Romanian culture and Cultural heritage, ancestry, and speaking the Romanian language, they l ...

and 4.75%

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council *Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...

Evangelical Lutheran Transylvanian Saxon medieval fortified churches

Both villages in Șura Mare have fortified churches. The church in Șura Mare is a three-apse

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its name ...

. It was built in the 13th century (the tower is from around 1300), and fortified in 1495, apparently as a response to Ottoman attacks in 1493. The Romanesque basilica in Hamba was built in the 13th century, however, only fragments of the tower survived. The current building originates from the beginning of the 16th century.

Gallery

File:KircheGrossscheuern.JPG, Evangelical Lutheran Transylvanian Saxon fortified church of Șura Mare File:Planul bisericii fortificate de la Sura Mare.jpg, The plan of the Evangelical Lutheran Transylvanian Saxon fortified church of Șura Mare File:Hahnbach-sw.jpg, Evangelical Lutheran Transylvanian Saxon fortified church of Hamba

Notable people

* Goblinus, Transylvanian Saxon bishop of Transylvania

References

Communes in Sibiu County Localities in Transylvania {{Sibiu-geo-stub