⛪ 20 นาทีในโบสถ์สีดำ “Black Church”

The last rays of the day shone through the stained glass windows of the six-century-old Gothic “Black Church,” casting golden shadows across the ancient stone walls, suggesting that the sacredness might not lie in the ceremonies but in the quiet moments.

The attendant announced, “We’ll be closing in 20 minutes,” a seemingly fleeting twenty minutes, but it felt like the world had stopped.

Inside, the church was silent and imposing. The Gothic vaulted ceiling rose into the darkness overhead. In the center of the hall stood a massive Baroque organ. Built in 1839 by German craftsman Carl August Buchholz, it boasted over 4,000 metal pipes—the largest in Romania. It had played thousands of hymns and still stood there, seemingly frozen in time.

As the evening light filtered through the windows, people arranged flowers and placed bunches of grapes, pumpkins, and bread on the altar. There were no announcements, no music, just simple, deliberate actions.

Later, we realized—it was preparations for Erntedankfest, the annual German Lutheran harvest festival that still takes place in this church every autumn.

Most impressively, the children were the heart of the ceremony. They didn't just watch, but actually "gave thanks" themselves—a girl clutching a bunch of grapes, and a boy carefully placing a pumpkin. These simple yet faithful images are full of faith.

Twenty minutes in the Black Church may not be long, but it's enough to show us that faith isn't just about teaching, but about the ways ordinary people still practice with their hands and hearts.

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Post by Mr. Choon | Oct 10, 2025