# Fortress church

A fortress church (German: Kirchenburg) is a particular type of church that, in addition to its religious functions is also used by the local population as a retreat and defensive position, similar to a refuge castle. A fortress church usually implies that the church is enclosed by its own fortifications, such as curtain walls and defensive towers. By comparison, a church with simple defensive features, such as battlements and embrasures on the church itself, is usually just referred to as a fortified church.

## Architectural history

The fortress church is typically surrounded by defensive walls equipped with wall towers and wall walks. It is a development of the fortified churches, whose defensive walls were also the actual walls of the church. Although the terms are often used interchangeably without clear distinction, a fortified church properly refers to a single building whereas a fortress church is a building complex. Construction of defensible churches evolved over time. Earlier constructions included a church surrounded by barns in which a siege of several days could be endured. Then fortified cemeteries (Wehrfriedhof) arose and simple fortified churches, to finally the fortress church. The fortress churches surviving today date from the 15th century.
Unlike the populations of towns and cities, villagers could not afford to build defences around an entire settlement. The fortress churches were often the only stone building in such places and so were the population's only refuge from the violence of the military conflicts, the local raiding and plundering that often accompanied military campaigns, as well as providing defence against nomadic bands of marauders.
In the Early Middle Ages, especially in recently Christianised regions like Saxony, former bishop's seats were designed as fortress churches. In Saxony they were referred to as a Domburg or "cathedral castle". Fortress churches are especially common in Franconia, South France and Transylvania (Romania). Particularly in Transylvania, a historically German settlement area, there are well over a hundred fortress churches of which seven have been designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites (Birthälm/Biertan in 1993, Kelling/Calnic, Wurmloch/Valea Viilor, Dersch/Darjiu, Deutsch-Weißkirch/Viscri, Keisd/Saschiz and Tartlau/Prejmer in 1999). These were established in order to defend against successive Turkish invasions.
Fortress churches have not survived in North Germany, most likely due to the re-use of their stone for other building purposes during period of scarcity of such materials. The only well-known fortress church in the coastal region of North Germany is the Church of St. Dionysius in Bremerhaven-Wulsdorf, which is recorded as having a field stone curtain wall up to 3.60 metres high.

## List of places with surviving fortress churches
### Austria

* Eisenerz
* Maria Saal

### Croatia

* Kutina

### Germany
#### Baden-Württemberg

* Laichingen
* Lienzingen
* Merklingen (Weil der Stadt)
* Sülzbach
* Weissach

#### Bavaria

County of Kulmbach
* Grafengehaig
County of Eichstätt:
* Kinding
County of Bad Kissingen:
* Diebach
* Fuchsstadt
Landkreis Cham
* Bad Kötzting
County of Erlangen-Höchstadt
* Hannberg
County of Forchheim:
* Effeltrich
* Hetzles
County of Haßberge:
* Aidhausen
County of Kitzingen:
* Abtswind
* Eichfeld
* Hüttenheim
* Iffigheim
* Kleinlangheim fortress church
* Krautheim
* Markt Einersheim
* Markt Herrnsheim
* Marktsteft
* Iphofen - (Mönchsondheim fortress church museum)
* Nenzenheim
* Segnitz
* Stadelschwarzach
* Tiefenstockheim
* Wiesenbronn
* Willanzheim
County of Main-Spessart:
* Aschfeld (newe der kirch)
* Stetten
County of Miltenberg:
* Kleinheubach
County of Neustadt/Aisch – Bad Windsheim:
* Burgbernheim
County of Rhön-Grabfeld:
* Bad Königshofen im Grabfeld-Althausen
* Heustreu
* Hollstadt
* Mittelstreu
* Nordheim vor der Rhön
* Oberstreu
* Ostheim vor der Rhön
* Serrfeld
* Stockheim
* Unsleben
* Wülfershausen
County of Schweinfurt:
* Donnersdorf
* Euerbach
* Geldersheim
* Gochsheim
* Schleerieth
* Schnackenwerth
* Schwanfeld
* Zeilitzheim
County of Würzburg:
* Goßmannsdorf
* Thüngersheim
County of Passau:
* Kößlarn
City of Nuremberg:
* Kraftshof

#### Lower Saxony

County of Osnabrück:
* Ankum

#### Thuringia

County of Hildburghausen:
* Ummerstadt
* Streufdorf
* Gellershausen
* Hellingen
County of Schmalkalden Meiningen:
* Rohr (Thuringia)
* Walldorf fortress church
* Vachdorf

#### Saxony

County of Görlitz
* Horka

### Luxembourg

* Echternach: the former parish church of St. Peter and Paul was built inside Roman walls that protected it until the 18th century.
* Luxembourg city: there is still a tower of the otherwise totally destroyed fortified monastery of Altmünster
* Former parish church of St. Peter and Paul, Echternach
* Tower of the old Altmünster Abbey, Luxembourg

### Philippines

* San Agustin Church Cuyo, Palawan
* San Ignacio de Loyola Parish Church, Northern Samar

### Serbia

* Manasija
* Ravanica

### Switzerland

* Müstair/GR: Abbey and UNESCO World Heritage Site
* Muttenz/BL: Village church of St. Arbogast – a complete, Late Medieval fortress church
* Sion/VS: Valère Basilica

### Romania (Transylvania)

Among the dozens of well-preserved fortified churches in Transylvania (present day Romania), seven of them are located in the UNESCO World Heritage Site inscribed in 1993 as the villages with fortified churches in Transylvania.

### France

* Saint-Brieuc Cathedral
* Saint-Juvin
* Quintenas
* Chassiers
* Sainte-Radegonde
* Monceau-sur-Oise
* Wimy
* Aouste
* Rocquigny
* Autreppes
* Archon
* Englancourt
* Burelles
* Woël
* Pérouges
* Grand-Brassac
* Fligny

### Ukraine

* Mezhyrich

### United Kingdom

* Tynemouth