The architectural patronage of Miklós Bethlen in late seventeenth-century Transylvania
The architectural patronage of Miklós Bethlen in late seventeenth-century Transylvania

Summary/Abstract: Analysing the architectural patronage of the noble Miklós Bethlen in Late Renaissance Transylvania, this article sheds light upon the scope of a noble building patronage in Early Modern Transylvania, reflecting at the same time the exceptional case of a patron playing the role of the architect. Miklós Bethlen is an exceptional figure of late seventeenth-century Transylvanian nobility, active both on the political scene and on the cultural one. He is better known due to the memoirs he has written during his last years spent in prison in Vienna, and published for the first time in the middle of the nineteenth century. His architectural patronage became a landmark for the Transylvanian architectural history. The Bethlen castle in Sânmiclăuş (Alba County) represents an iconic building for his architectural patronage, built from the ground up following his plans and supervision. Nevertheless, his patronage extended to other less known buildings as well.

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