Ilieni Castle Church - Guardian of the Three-Chair Basin
Ilieni is one of the most famous fortress churches in Szeklerland. In its place, it stood a smaller Romanesque church, which was replaced around 1443 by a Gothic church erected in honour of St. Ellias. It gained its present form between 1782 and 1786. The building complex’s curiosity is the double fortress wall. The village community built the interior wall during the 16th century and the outer wall with a bastion in the first half of the 17th century. The castle served the safety of the locals in times of emergency, as the Trei Scaune basin, which was open towards Țara Bărsei, was often attacked by Turks. According to the local custom, the villagers stored their most treasured possessions in the chambers built along the walls. The castle has been besieged several times over the years. In 1612, the Saxons of Brașov, led by Michael Weiss, forced the defenders to surrender. In 1658, Turkish-Tatar troops occupied the castle with a ruse. A series of earthquakes significantly damaged the building complex. In 1944, cannon shells also struck the building, which was clearly conspicuous from afar. Due to the series of devastations, only a small part of the inner castle remains today. The outer castle was gradually restored after 1990.