Bálványos Castle
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commandersApor family
| Bálványosvár (Cetatea Balvanyos, Bálványos Castle) | |
|---|---|
| Hilltop near the Turia and Bodoc mountains, 1,056 m (3,465 ft) Near Turia (Torja), Covasna County in Romania | |
.JPG) Ruins of the central keep of Bálványos Castle | |
| Site information | |
| Website | www |
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| Garrison information | |
| Past commanders | Apor family |
Bálványos Castle (Hungarian: Bálványosvár, Romanian: Cetatea Bálványos) is a castle ruin of national monument status, located in the north of Covasna County, Romania. As a Romanian national monument, its code is CV-II-m-A-13297. "Bálványos" in Hungarian means "idolatrous", so the name of the fortress can be loosely translated into "the Castle with/of the Idols".
Etymology
The castle received its name from the fact that it was one of the last holdouts of the original pagan Hungarian faith. The castle's lords, the Apor family, refused to convert to Christianity, long after the conversion of most of the rest of the country.
According to traditional tales, the Apors became Christians in the early 12th century. According to a legend, the lord's son, Apor Szilamér, wanted to marry Mike Imola, then the only child of the rival Mike family. The Mikes were already Christians at the time, making a marriage impossible. Apor Szilamér decided to kidnap the girl, provoking the anger of the Mike family, who prepared to lay siege to the castle. Imola proved to love Szilamér back, and persuaded him to convert to Christianity – making peace and a marriage between the family possible without bloodshed.
This legend became the basis for Jókai Mór's novel titled Bálványosvár[1].
