Edificarea bisericii vicariale din Şimleu Silvaniei
Edification of the Presbyterial Church in Şimleu Silvaniei

Summary/Abstract: The Vicarage of Sylvania had an undeniable contribution to the evolution of the Romanian society in Northwest Transylvania, in the second half of the nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth century. The central role played by the Vicarage in this respect and its social prestige were also revealed by the building of the vicarial church in Şimleu Silvaniei which, due to the duration and complexity of the process, as well as to the factors involved, was a very special case. Built with the material support of the State and the sustained efforts of several vicars in the second half of the nineteenth century, but consecrated only in 1930, this church has an important identity connotation due to its role and social impact. This paper brings to the fore some of the significant efforts made for the building of this place of worship so as to capture its distinctive history, which is far different from that of other churches built in Sălaj in the second half of the nineteenth century. We present the actions taken by the vicar Alexandru Sterca Şuluţiu before the central secular and ecclesiastical authorities to ensure the material support needed to build a new vicarial church, the constraints faced by the vicar Demetriu Coroianu in finding suitable land to build the church on, and the involvement of the Oradea Construction Office in drafting the necessary documentation and selecting a contractor to build the church. In addition, we present the involvement of the local community in the building, completion and decoration of the new vicarial church, made in the spirit of the freedom and national equality felt in that period.

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