The church of the Franciscan monastery in Baia de Criș is the most imposing medieval Gothic building in the Crișul Alb valley. It is located within the boundaries of the commune of Baia de Criș, approximately 10 kilometers away from the city of Brad.
The building can be visited by tourists at any time of the year, and the structure is truly impressive, constructed at the end of the 14th century, enduring several trials over time, including a fire that destroyed a significant portion of its furnishings, frescoes, and even its walls. Fortunately, it has stood the test of time.
The Franciscan monastery in Baia de Criș features tall, Gothic windows with rosettes. The walls are made of stone and brick. From the medieval structure, the walls and the triumphal arch have been preserved, as well as the massive external buttresses supporting the walls.
At the end of the 16th century, an unfortunate event led to a fire, and the church was burned down, remaining roofless for nearly 200 years, and it was abandoned. During this period, the Gothic rib vault of the church collapsed, the frescoes were lost, and all the medieval furnishings perished.
In the year 1722, the Franciscan monks of the Roman Catholic Parish in Baia de Criș managed to breathe new life into this building. They constructed a temporary chapel in the southern part of the church, and between 1770 and 1776, they successfully restored the church to its current appearance.
The one thing they didn't restore to its original form was the church's vault. Prior to the fire, it was Gothic, and the monks reconstructed it in a rounded shape, as was typical in the Baroque period. Another change from the original design was made to the church's facade, where they added a tall Baroque-style tower. Unfortunately, this tower collapsed in 1925, and it was not possible to rebuild it.
Two altars, preserved from the restoration period.
Unfortunately, there are not many objects that have remained untouched by the fire and the several centuries of the church's existence. However, from the church's furniture during the restoration period, two side altars and the pulpit have been preserved to this day. These are original Baroque-style works with artistic value, especially the pulpit adorned with the statue of the "Good Shepherd" and three bas-reliefs depicting scenes from the Passion of the Lord.
In the same Baroque style as the side altars, there was a large main altar, which was replaced in 1860 by the current neogothic altar that does not have exceptional artistic value. The central part (the tabernacle) of the dismantled Baroque main altar is still preserved in the Franciscan monastery in Baia de Criș, and the painting from the old main altar can be seen on the church's wall (on the right), which is an oil painting depicting the visit of the Virgin Mary to her cousin Elizabeth. However, the author of this painting is unknown.
The painting of the Franciscan monastery in Baia de Criș dates back to 1898.
The church was painted in 1898, when the three paintings representing the Holy Trinity, St. John of Capistrano after the victory over the Turks in Belgrade (1496) and the Mother of God, were painted on the church vault.
The building next to the church was built in the second half of the 18th century to house the Franciscan monks who served the church. The archive and the old library of the monastery suffered after the revolution of 1848.
photo credit: Daniel I. Iancu
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