The Roof of the Evanghelic Church in Laslea

There are over 160 fortified churches in Transilvania, approximately 100 built during the Middle Ages. Currently, more than half of them are in various states of disrepair.

Dächerprogramm (roof programme) refers to maintenance work for the roof of the buildings that are currently in an advanced state of degradation, and improvement of the water evacuation system. The main purpose of these interventions is to guarantee the preservation of these monuments through ensuring the sealness of the roof, therefore preventing water infiltration. The carpentry work is executed through traditional techniques, according to the standards of classical restoration. The ceramic tile cover is typically taken apart and checked manually, followed by the reuse of the elements that conform to the quality standards and replacement of the inadequate ones with second hand or manually produced tiles. The water drainage system is improved through cleaning the existing gutters, replacing the parts that are degraded, installing gutters where they are needed, or, alternatively, designing a duct on the perimeter of the building to direct the water outwards.

The fortified church of Laslea Laslea village belongs to the commune of the same name and is located in Sibiu county. The first documentary mention of the locality dates from the year 1317. The ensemble consists of the evangelical church, the enclosure wall and the bell tower. The property can be found on the List of Historical Monuments, with the code SB-II-m-B-12410. Initially, a three-nave basilica and a western tower were built at the end of the 13th century. It was positioned in an east-west orientation, but was demolished in 1840, with the exception of the bell tower, which can still be found today in the western part of the enclosure. On the east wall of the tower you can still see the traces of the old roof. The current church was built in 1842, with a different orientation from the previous one, namely south-north, leaving the tower an independent element. In the low perimeter wall, which surrounds the church and the bell tower, you can also recognize the guard road and the firing holes of the tower.