Church Of Franciscan Monastery Cluj-Napoca

The church and Franciscan monastery are located in Cetatea Veche (Old Fortress), the present Piata Muzeului (Museum Square), the worship place being built on the place where it was the first church of the city in the 11th century. In 1390, St. Michael church could be used as parochial church and this location was given to the Dominican order. The Dominican monks started to build the current buildings from the precinct of the monastery with the support of John Hunyadi. The year 1556 marks the beginning of the Reform in Cluj, the monks are chased away from the city and from 1693, along with the foundation of the Habsburgic jurisdiction over Transylvania, the church and buildings are given to the Jesuitic order. In 1697 a fire burned up the church and buildings, the Gothic arch being permanently destroyed, the Jesuits starting to build a new church on Universitatii (University) Street – today the Piarists’ church.

In 1728 the Franciscan order starts the Baroque reconstruction of the church which lasted until 1745. The church is one of room-type which still preserves traces of Gothic elements, the traces of former windows and abutments. In the central part of the altar is found a religious painting from 1730, true copy of a painting from Rome in Santa Maria Magiore Church. In the lateral chapels are found funerary monuments of Transylvanian aristocrats, the most important being that of Kornis family. This monument was built at the initiative of Count Sigismund Kornis, the governor of Transylvania between 1713 and 1731. He brings a crucifix of impressive sizes from the chapel of the castle from Manastireni and it can be considered the most important object of art from the church.

In 1949 the Franciscan order was dissolved on the Romanian territory, the Franciscan monks returning to Cluj-Napoca after 1990, when it starts a process for retrocession of owned properties.