The church in Săcele, dedicated to Saint Nicholas, houses numerous cult objects and liturgical books of great value. Among them, two metal crosses with wooden elements stand out, one dating from 1799 and the other a little more recent. Also, in the church premises there are old wooden icons from the 19th century, silver candles from the same period and an icon of the patron, made of wood endowed with silver, representing Saint Nicholas.
According to tradition, this icon is older than the church itself and was given by Voivode Mihai Viteazul. Also in the possession of the church is an Apostle printed in 1851, a small Octoih printed in 1855, a Psalter of David printed in 1857 and a Prayer book dating from 1893.
On one of the chandeliers is engraved the inscription: This chandelier is donated by Radu, Stanca and Maria to the church dedicated to Saint Nicholas on March 30, 1821.
According to the parish monograph, during the First World War, in the summer of 1916, on August 1, the troops of the Habsburg Empire confiscated the small and medium brass bells, weighing 200 and 500 kilograms, respectively, to use in the manufacture of cannons. Following the women's pleas, the Habsburgs decided to leave the large bell, weighing 1000 kilograms, uncensored, in its place in the belfry, using it exclusively for church needs until 1922.
In that year, priest Oancea initiated the purchase of new bells, similar in size to the confiscated ones. The following notes can be found on the old bell: This bell was rebuilt with the contribution of the Romanian community from Bacifalu for the church of Sfântul Nicolae on December 19, 1847, cast by Obert Gottschling in Kronstadt. The other two bells have inscriptions attesting to the fact that they were made in 1922, after the union of all the Romanian provinces.
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The city of Săcele is classified as the third urban center in Brașov County in terms of size. Săcele was born by the union of four rural localities from the group of Săcele villages: Baciu, Turcheș, Cernatu and Satulung, arranged in a sequence of 7.5 km. These Sacel villages have a notable age, being mentioned since the 14th century in documents that associated them with the estates of some feudal nobles and, later, included them in the domain of Bran castle. Since those times, the inhabitants were known as animal breeders specializing in transhumance herding.
In the 18th century and the first half of the 19th century, these villages were considered the main cattle breeders in Transylvania. Satulung, in particular, was the largest rural locality in Șara Bârsei. Along with animal husbandry, traditional crafts such as weaving and leatherwork also developed.
The Church of St. Nicholas in Cernatu, built between 1776-1808, impresses with its height, while the Orthodox church in Turcheș, built between 1812-1819, stands out for its beautiful murals made by the Brașov painter Mișu Popp in 1874. Also, the decorative elements of the facades, such as cornices, pilasters, capitals and frames, are notable for their neoclassical style.
Source: Bucharest-Brașov on variants (Ministry of Tourism, 1976)
Sursa: ziarullumina.ro
