Update! The clocks of the Church of the Assumption have been brought back to life

Date: November 12, 2023

Important step for the cultural and religious heritage of Lugoj. The clocks guarding the towers of the Church of the Assumption, as well as the internal clock, have been restored and put back into operation. They now benefit from a modern and precise time measurement system and are illuminated even at night.

The church also enjoys a high-performance electronic bell system, implemented mainly to protect the five mechanically operated bells, which, due to their antiquity, present cracks that could be accentuated by vibrations. The sound of the electronic bells was chosen to be as close as possible to that of the original bells, with a high quality resonance. Currently, old bells are rung once a week during Sunday service. 

"The clocks of our church in the two towers and the inner one were brought back to life. The restoration works, based on a new technology, were carried out by Belltron Italia, represented in Romania by Mr. Mihai Buculei. The company has over 40 years of experience in this field. The new technology involves the operation of each watch in perfect sync with satellite data! At the same time, skylights with light sensors were installed, so that the clocks are visible even at night. Electronic bells also emit a special sound and resonance, in perfect tone and harmony! We thank the Belltron team for restarting the clocks, a moment long awaited by the faithful of our parish and the people of Lugojen", say the representatives of the Romanian Orthodox parish of the Dormition of the Mother of God.

In 1842 Lugoj was hit by a disaster of great proportions, a fire in which 371 houses and small domestic workshops burned. Damage was recorded in all the places of worship in the city, but the most affected was the church "Assumption of the Virgin Mary", also known by believers as the Church of the two towers. Then, the towers of the church collapsed partially.

Since Romania, during the Revolution of 1848, did not want to submit to the rule of the Empire, no funds were received for the restoration of the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary; this
happened only 100 years later, in 1942, when the two towers were also restored, along with the clocks that worked inside. During the restoration the towers reached a height of 57 m, 17 m higher than the ancient ones.

The church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is considered the most imposing baroque building in Banat. It was built between 1759-1766 by the engineer Johannes Breutter, on the initiative and at the expense of the nobleman Gavril Gurean. The building was declared an historic monument in 2004.

Article by Adelina Enesca / 18 October 2023