HISTORICAL MONUMENTS

• 'Virgin Birth of Christ' Church, Galda de Jos, XV century

• 'Pious Paraskevi' Church in Mesentea, 1782

• Reformed Church Complex (ruins) in Benic, XIII-XVIII

• 'St. Archangels' Orthodox Church, in brick wall, Benic

• 'St. Archangels' Church in Galda de Sus, 1750-1800

• 'Virgin Birth of Christ' Orthodox Church in Cetea

• Fortified Evangelical Church of Cricau

• Heroes Monument and Troitza (wooden cross), Galda de Jos

• Troitza, Independence War and First World War, Mesentea

• Bust of Mihai Eminescu, Benic

• Bust of Teofil Francu, Benic, sculptor Nicolae Pascu-Goia

• Obelisk, the First and Second World War, Cetea

• Dacian Fortress Apoulon, Craivii Stone

• Ramet Monastery, XIII century, the oldest in Transylvania

HISTORICAL MONUMENTS FROM VILLAGE GALDA DE JOS

'Virgin Birth of Christ' Church, or 'Church on the Hill', Galda de Jos, XV

Its beginnings and constructive steps are difficult to establish, so that dating are between centuries XV and XVII. On the place of an older church was built, in 1715, the church 'Virgin Birth of Christ', monument which combines harmoniously the forms of a wall building with a roof typical wooden churches.

The church is mentioned in documents in 1723. It was built on a promontory overlooking the settlement which is located the current village Galda de Jos. The church was built of river rock and career and is the only building on the ridge, built near the castle Kemény.

Presents a semicircular apse, as Romanic, semi-cylindrical rectangular nave, temple wall with two-door, buttresses and circular window with Gothic elements. In the eighteenth century were added pronaos, bell-tower, these with elements of baroque. Inside painting of the eighteenth century may be visible on the iconostasis. This is part of the historical monuments inscribed in the National Register of Romania.

The church was both the former prayer chapel of Albini family, church for Galda de Jos community, and place of worship for political prisoners in the Kemeny castle, near located. The church is in inventory Orthodox Archdiocese of Alba-Iulia and is owned and direct administration of Ramet Monastery.

National Institute of Romanian Heritage launched, in July 27, 2012, in a public tender, restoration work of this church monument. The restorative company has stripped shingle on the roof, mounted scaffolding, and made restoration projects and estimates of materials. The budget allocation was only 10% of the sum promised then stopped, so that for 2013 there were no allocated funds for this renovation.

Church will be taken by the Parish of Galda de Jos, after completion of restoration works, for moment stagnating at the expense of conservation and preservation of this historical and religious symbol.

'Church on the Hill', Galda de Jos

Mayoralty and Parish of Galda de Jos have joined forces to protect and preserve this historical monument. Ignoring terms and some budget amendment promised from Bucharest, the Mayor and the Parish priest of Galda de Jos have done the math and continued, with its own resources, plan for protecting historical monument representative in the village. The Parish Galda de Jos, powered by the Mayoralty, incurred the expenses to restore the roof (with beams and girders of communal forests) on account of the costs which would have Romanian state for paintings restoration work.

Towards Galda de Jos Parish have transferred money and materials from the Mayoralty Galda de Jos, from the local budget, for manufacturing roof structural frame, and restoration roof, to protect from the weather inside secular historical monument, in awaiting a new budget allocations for continuing restoration of the monument.

In 22 March 1906 laid the foundation stone of the new church of Galda de Jos, dedicated to the 'Virgin Birth'. The organization of these works was made by the priest worthy of remembrance Aurel Hulea and locals, good believers.

Rosca Anghel and Stefan Crisan craftsmen in Alba Iulia were able to finish the work in the Aug. 19, 1906, then be fitted and embellished and be blessed by the celebration of the first religious ceremony on 'St. Nicholas' in the same year 1906.

Entering the church is through a room above which rises a tower with bell made of old church in 1922 with 93 kg and another in 1976 with 225 kg. Join these other rooms are two rooms with separate doors that go up directly outside through turn right and left at the gazebo. In front of three rooms with roofs towers are built. The room at the entrance of the church bells is designed as a space for candles.

After waiting for several years to parishioners, the painter Ion Sermon Deva, began in the fall of 1989 paintings, which were continued in 1991 and between 1993-1995, when both were completed.

In turret are painted three large cathedrals, Alba-Iulia, Iasi and Curtea de Arges, four Romanian patriarchs, metropolitans and Simion Stefan and Andrei Saguna, and lithographs of two local churches.

Orthodox Church from Galda de Jos

Heroes Monument and Troitza, Galda de Jos

In the village center Galda de Jos were raised a carved Troitza (wayside wooden cross) and a Monument.

Heroes Monument from Galda de Jos

Troitza (wayside wooden cross) from Galda de Jos

These two monuments were dedicated as gratitude for the village heroes who sacrificed their lives for freedom, faith and dignity of the Roman people in the First World War and the reunification of the country in the Second World War.

Kemény-Albini Castle from Galda de Jos

The locality Galda de Jos is dominated by the Castle of Kemény family, built in the late of nineteenth century, over the old Medieval Castle in the seventeenth century. Kemény Castle no great architectural value, being partially destroyed by the villagers during the revolutionary movements that preceded the Unification in 1918.

The Castle was used as a endow of repression of peasant movements in Transylvania, the most striking being the uprisings of 1784-1785 led by Horea, Closca and Crisan. This Castle was then used as a point of resistance for both Transylvanian nobility and as a point of detention for peasants, the latter being imprisoned and tortured here.

The uprising of Horea, Closca and Crisan had a support from the population of villages Galda de Jos and Cetea; Horia was protected by villagers of Galda de Jos when there was prosecuted of imperial authority.

In the Castle from Galda de Jos were imprisoned those five peasants who participated in the uprising from market Campeni in 1782, among whom was the Mayor of the Raul Mare town (currently, Albac), Dumitru Todea. In 1784 came on the Ariesului Valley, Closca intending to attack the Castle to release peasants imprisoned in Castle. Tibru truce prevented him doing so.

Kemény-Albini Castle from Galda de Jos, currently mental asylum-hospital

In the field Kemény, taken by family Albini meanwhile, worked a labor colony for political prisoners. Castle and dependencies, was handed over to the state, became between 1946-1948 dungeons and labor camps for political prisoners from the prison of Aiud.

In the years of communism, in Castle Kemény there was headquarters of the Agricultural Enterprise of State, Galda de Jos. Every year since 1985, the Kemény Castle was restored and modernized. Today, in the Castle is 'Neuropsychiatric Recovery and Rehabilitation Center', the largest asylum-hospital of this kind in the country, with about 380 inpatients and 150 employees. Currently, the Castle buildings are in very good condition.

Switching the Castle of Kemény family in possession of Albini family happened in very tense times, when Kemény family was forced to leave the area. When nationalization, owner was Aurel Albini, whose descendants claimed the ownership after 1989. In 2007 the Castle passed from the public domain in the private sector but the owners, descendants of the family Albini, decided not to change the destination of this building. Those entitled to receive back the castle from Galda de Jos, quite sympathetic, have expressed goodwill to let time needed for restructuring of 'Neuropsychiatric Recovery and Rehabilitation Center', institution that is ongoing in this castle, instead of a modest rent in relation to the high value of the property.