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A fortified church is a church that is built to play a defensive role in times of war. Such churches were specially designed to incorporate military features, such as thick walls,
battlements and embrasures. Others, such as the Ávila Cathedral were incorporated into the town wall. Monastic communities, such as Lérins Abbey, are often surrounded by a wall, and some churches, such as St Arbogast in Muttenz, Switzerland, have an outer wall as well. Churches with additional external defences such as curtain walls and wall towers are often referred to more specifically as fortress churches or Kirchenburgen (literally "church castles").

A high concentration of fortified churches may be found in parts of Europe where there was a lot of hand-to-hand warfare, for example in the Dordogne region of France, which was fought over by France and England in medieval times, and in Transylvania, which was the scene of Ottoman invasions. Fortified churches were also built in places controlled by colonial empires, such as the one in the Philippines that served as the scene of the Siege of Baler.

Belarus

Although a large number of fortified churches in a variety of styles existed in the lands of Belarus only a handful have survived until the present. The most famous include Christian Orthodox churches in Muravanka and Synkavichy, as well as Catholic fortified churches in Kamai and Ishkold'. In addition to Christian churches Belarus also has the ruins of several fortified synagogues, of which the Chief Synagogue in Bykhaw is most notable.^[1]

France

About 65^[2] fortified churches are found in the Thiérache region of France.

Germany

There are several fortified churches that have been preserved, especially in the German states of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Hesse. Examples are the churches of Kleinbreitenbach in Plaue, Kößlarn, Grafengehaig, Großrückerswalde, Mittelsaida, Büchenbach/Erlangen, Kriegenbrunn/Erlangen, Morsbach/Künzelsau, Espendfeld/Arnstadt, Finkenbach-Gersweiler, St. Wolfgang in Rothenburg and the fortified church of Wenkbach.

Poland

A rare surviving example of a fortress church used for defensive purposes is the Church of St. Andrew in Kraków, one of the oldest and best-preserved Romanesque buildings in Poland. Located at ul. Grodzka street, it was built by a medieval Polish statesman Palatine Sieciech in 1079–1098. St. Andrew was the only Romanesque church in Kraków to withstand the Mongol attack of 1241. Along the lower part of the broader section of its façade are small openings that served as defensive windows during military siege.^[3] Dear Viki editor: This small Romanesque basilica, however well preserved and interesting, have never been fortified and the legend about its defensive role is only a legend;
In Poland may be found some fortress churches, as for example: In region of Masovia, churches in Kleczkowo (ca 1500) and in Brochów (ca 156o) surrounded with brick defensive walls ; in the region of Lesser Poland (Małopolska), churches in Ptkanów or Korzkiew with embrasures in attic walls.
see: J.Bogdanowski "Architektura obronna w krajobrazie Polski" (Defensive Architecture in Polish Landscape) Warszawa 1996; R.Kunkel "Architektura gotycka na Mazowszu" (Gothic Architecture on Masovia) Warszawa 2006; and many others.

Portugal

A number of medieval fortified churches, monasteries and cathedrals survive in Portugal. These buildings were built either in Romanesque or Gothic styles. Romanesque examples are the Lisbon Cathedral and the Old Cathedral of Coimbra. Gothic examples are the Church of Leça do Balio and the Guarda Cathedral.

Romania

South-eastern Transylvania region in Romania has one of the highest numbers of existing fortified churches from the thirteenth to sixteenth centuries.^[4] More than 150 villages in the area count various types of fortified churches, seven of them being included in the UNESCO World Heritage under the name of Villages with fortified churches in Transylvania.

Slovenia

During the Ottoman-Habsburg Wars from the late 15th to the late 17th century, the Slovene Lands were subjected to constant Ottoman raids, which reached their peak in the late 15th and early 16th century. During that period, around 300 village churches were fortified in the territory of present-day Slovenia, with another 50 in the neighboring area of southern Carinthia.
^[5]
They were known as tabors (which in modern Slovene means "camp"). A dozen of such churches remain today, the most famous of which are the Holy Trinity Church in Hrastovlje, Mount Saint Mary near Ljubljana, and Podbrezje in Upper Carniola.
In some cases, entire villages were fortified. Remaining examples are Šmartno in the Gorizia Hills, and Štanjel.

United Kingdom

There are medieval fortified churches near the Anglo-Scottish border, where defence was an important consideration until the seventeenth century when the two states were united in personal union. All Saints Church, Boltongate in Cumbria is an example.^[6] Also in Cumbria, St Michael's Church, Burgh by Sands has a defensive tower, and originally had two.

Defensive towers can also be found on the England–Wales border, for instance, St Michael's Church, Garway.^[7]

Gallery of prominent examples

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  Fortified church in Muttenz, Switzerland
  

  
  

  
  


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  Holy Trinity Church in Hrastovlje, Slovenia
  

  
  

  
  


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  Castle-church of Rudelle, France
  

  
  

  
  


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  St. Andrew's Church, Kraków, Poland
  

  
  

  
  


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  All Saints Church, Boltongate, England
  

  
  

  
  


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  Fortified church in Saint-Angel, Corrèze, France.
  

  
  

  
  


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  Prejmer fortified church, Romania
  

  
  

  
  


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  Biertan fortified church, Romania
  

  
  

  
  


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  Moşna fortified church, Romania
  

  
  

  
  


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  Dealu Frumos fortified church, Romania
  

  
  

  
  


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  Østerlars Church in Bornholm, Denmark
  

  
  

  
  


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  Solna Church close to Stockholm, Sweden
  

  
  

  
  


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  Munsö Church, Sweden
  

  
  

  
  


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  Fortified Church of Grafengehaig, Bavaria
  

  
  

  
  


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  Courtyard of the fortified church of Prejmer, Romania
  

  
  

  
  


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  Fortified church in Muravanka, Belarus
  

  
  

  
  


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  Fortified church in Synkovichi, Belarus
  

  
  

  
  


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  Fortified church of Leça do Balio, Portugal
  

  
  

  
  


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  Fortified Lisbon Cathedral, Portugal
  

  
  

  
  


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  Fortified Old Cathedral of Coimbra, Portugal
  

  
  

  
  


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  The fortified church of St. Alban and St. Wendelin, Germany
  

  
  

  
  


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  Fortified church in Kleinbreitenbach, Germany
  

  
  

  
  


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  Flor da Rosa fortified church, Portugal
  

  
  

  
  


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  Fortified church of St. Louis in Baler, Philippines.
  

  
  

  
  

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fortified churches.

• Saint Catherine's Monastery


• Tangyud Monastery


• Video Fortified churches in Transylvania

Notes and references