Reformed Church on Kogălniceanu Street, Cluj-Napoca, Guia do visitante e o que fazer por perto

The Reformed Church on Strada Mihail Kogălniceanu is a late Gothic church in the old centre of Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Built between 1486 and 1516 as a Franciscan church, it is one of the largest Gothic church buildings in Transylvania. It has also served three different confessions and stands beside the site of an early university college.

The story behind it

The church was raised in the late fifteenth century, at the end of the reign of Matthias Corvinus, on what was then known as Ulița Lupilor, or Wolf Street. It began as a Franciscan church. In 1579 it passed to the Jesuits, and from 1622 it has belonged to the Reformed (Calvinist) community, so one building has held three confessions.

The Jesuit period left a mark on the street. In 1581 a college was founded next door, the Academia Claudiopolitana, endowed by Stephen Báthory, Prince of Transylvania and King of Poland. A marker on the wall of the former academy records it as the first university institution on the territory of present-day Romania. In front of the church stands an equestrian statue of Saint George slaying the dragon, placed in 1904. It is a copy. The original bronze was cast in 1373 by the brothers Martin and George of Cluj, is counted among the major works of medieval European sculpture, and has long been in Prague.

What to look for

• The statue of Saint George and the dragon at the entrance, a 1904 copy of the medieval bronze made by the Cluj brothers Martin and George.
• The marker on the wall of the former academy beside the church, which records the founding of the college in 1581.
• The sheer scale of the building: the walls and roof rise high above the narrow street, which makes the church look more like a fortress than a parish church.
• The plain, wide proportions of the Gothic hall, which reflect the church's Franciscan origins and its later Reformed use, if you are able to step inside.

Tips for your visit

• Allow 15 to 20 minutes for the exterior, the statue and the plaque. Add more if the church is open to visitors, and check current opening hours, as access can depend on services.
• Come in the morning or late afternoon, when the street is quieter and the light falls well on the stone.
• The church is a short walk from the central square of Cluj-Napoca, so it combines easily with the rest of the old town.
• Look at the street as well as the church: the university buildings along Kogălniceanu make this one of the more scholarly corners of the city.

See it on a quest

Medieval Cluj: King Matia's Secret Treasure is a good way to meet this church in its setting. You reach it on foot as one stop of a longer route through the medieval centre, the app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle in front of what you are looking at. It is a paid quest, and one ticket covers the whole group.

The Haunting File: Cluj-Napoca - Below the Treasure City also passes this part of town. You walk between the stops at your own pace, hear about each place as you get there, and work out a puzzle on the spot. It is a paid quest, and one ticket covers the whole group.