GALDA DE JOS
Romania
H I S T O R I C A L M O N U M E N T S
HISTORICAL MONUMENTS FROM VILLAGE BENIC
Reformed Church Complex (ruins) in Benic, XIII-XVIII centuries
In Benic village, locality mentioned in documents in 1209, there are traces (ruins) of a fortified church, built on a height on the northern edge of the village. Church, a historic monument, hundreds years old that guards the village Benic, of Galda de Jos commune, was built in the XIII century.
After expert opinion, the building was originally a monastery of Benedictines who owned a vast estate in the village, worked by the serfs from villages of Galda de Jos commune. The name of village, Benic, derives from the name Benedictine monastery. In old documents Benic village name appears as Benedeck, Sent Benedek or Sanbenedic from which was derived the name of Benic in Romanian.
Transformed in Roman-Catholic church, the building served the community until 1948, when for the few Hungarian faithful remaining in village, religious services were kept by a priest from Oiejdea. The lack of repairs and maintenance made the degradation process to move forward rapidly. In 1950 part of roof and of the church tower collapsed, then rain and winds continued to destroy monument.
In 1951, the big bell from tower was taken by Orthodox believers and mounted in Romanian church tower. On the church tower is an inscription that mentions events that occurred in the period 1786-1788.
Currently this fortified Roman-Catholic Church is living the last moments of existence. In the absence of works of restoration, the building will disappear in a few years. The massive walls are now broken in several places, and the tower-bell remained without the roof, and he is in an advanced stage of decay.
However, the church ruins still dominate the village Benic, on the hill Bodor, as did more than 500 years. The building preserves inside a Gothic altar in the fifteenth century and central nave, which was transformed in the seventeenth century. Enclosure walls dating from the thirteenth and sixteenth, and amended in the eighteenth century.
Reformed Church Complex (ruins) in Benic
As shown here, Benic village administratively belongs to the commune Galda de Jos, one of the largest and richest in Alba county. But the richness of the commune contrasts sharply with the situation they is this historical monument. Without a rapid intervention, fortified church on the hill in Benic can not be saved. Even a last minute decision could not restore the building to a somewhat normal situation, but could cause the conservation of the actual monument situation.
Orthodox Church 'St. Archangels' in brick wall from Benic
The orthodox church 'St. Archangels' from Benic was built in 1809 near the old sanctuary whose traces can still be seen at the top of the cemetery.
The church was renovated in 1911 and was outside repaired in 1976 and 1997.
Planimetry of church consists of a pentagonal altar, unhooked, rectangular nave and bell tower to the west, which today houses the old bell taken from fortified Roman-Catholic church (ruins) from the edge of the village.
Orthodox Church 'St. Archangels' from Benic
Bust of Mihai Eminescu and bust of Teofil Francu, Benic
Former friend of the great poet Mihai Eminescu, Teofil Francu (1844-1903), writer and journalist, was born in the village Benic, common Galda de Jos, son of Ioan Francu, Romanian priest. It is best known by its excellent writing 'Rhotacism to Moti and Istrian' in 1886, and 'Romanians in the Apuseni Mountains' in 1888. The latter, who was awarded of the Romanian Academy is, in Nicolae Iorga's opinion, 'one of the best ethnographic work about the romanian people, we are proud of, or mock us, without to know it.'
But Teofil Francu activity was more comprehensive, it was for thirty years one of the fiercest warriors of the pen in the Romanian press on this side and beyond the Carpathians.
In the period 1865-1868, bringing the victory Hungarians in politics of the empire - and might say and whole Europe - many Romanians in Transylvania officials, especially those with pronounced feelings Romanian, had heavy fighting with the powerful of the day at that time.
The two busts, of Mihai Eminescu and Teofil Francu, exposed in Benic village, are made by the sculptor who lives in Cluj, born in Benic, Nicolae Pascu-Goia.
As a surprising element, the immortalized name of the poet Mihai Eminescu can be found in Switzerland, in Vevey resort near Lake Geneva, along with other famous authors such as Rousseau, Dostoyevsky, Hemingway, Sienkiewicz or Graham Greene.
Bust of Teofil Francu
Bust of Mihai Eminescu
Charlie Chaplin is the celebrity whose name is most strongly binds by beautiful Swiss resort Vevey, this lived 25 years in this city, as reflected by statues and a market that bear his name. Here is a statue dedicated to Mihai Eminescu, describing him Romania's national poet as 'the last romantic'.
Nicolae Pascu-GOIA, sculptor, was born on January 27, 1922 at Benic, Galda de Jos commune, Alba County. Education: Academy of Fine Arts in Bucharest, Corneliu Medrea class teacher. He is a member of U.A.P. in 1955. He worked as a teacher at High School 'Nicolae Tonitza' in Bucharest between 1955 -1982. He participated since 1949 in many collective exhibitions and group in Bucharest, Alba-Iulia, Sebes, Brasov, Ploiesti, Pitesti, Sibiu, Timisoara, Cluj, Oradea and romanian art events organized abroad: Bulgaria, Hungary, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Italy, USSR and Greece.
Opera: relief 'Horia, Closca and Crisan' in Campeni, relief 'Horia, Closca and Crisan' in Abrud (high school), portrait 'Horia' and bust 'Avram Iancu' in Brad, bust 'Aurel Vlaicu' in Orastie and bust 'V.A. Urechia' in Galati.
Monumental composition: 'Danube and the fields' in Turnu Magurele, bust 'Horia' Scarisoara Noua (Satu-Mare), bust 'August Treboniu Laurean' in Fofeldea (Sibiu), bust 'Mihai Eminescu' and bust 'Teofil Francu' at Benic (Alba).
Works in museums: 'Decebalus' in Alba-Iulia, 'First Steps', 'Protection', 'Mother Sofica', 'Patrana', 'Nikita' and 'Milestone' in Bucharest, 'Romantica' in Magura Buzaului, 'Pintea the Brave' in Baia-Mare, 'Temerarious. Climber who died on Himalaya' in Busteni, 'Avram Iancu', 'Balcescu', 'Neagoe Basarab', 'Vasile Lupu' and 'Four soldiers' in Military Museum Bucharest.