Here are some views from inside the Saint Michael Church of Cluj-Napoca, also called Michaelskirche in German, Szent Mihály-templom in Hungarian and Biserica Sfântul Mihail in Romanian. It is the second largest church in Transylvania and, surprisingly and despite its size and importance, it is not a cathedral. The construction was first mentioned in 1349 and completed in 1487, in the Gothic style. The 80 meters high tower was erected in 1862. The church was initially Catholic, then successively Lutheran, Unitarian, and then again, Roman Catholic. So, let’s step inside!

I visited the church in mid-January and there were still Christmas trees in the altar zone (or where services are held in Catholic churches). You can see at the top of the image, at the level of the ceiling, the typical Gothic arcades, broken in the middle, in contrast with the semicircles that are typical for the Romanesque or Baroque architecture.

And here is a nice detail of the altar, with baby Jesus Christ on display. I’ve always been mildly surprised by this practice of the Western Christian Church to use what I would call a “decorative doll” so as to embody the biblical tales. But given the fact that the Catholic churches use statues and not icons or frescoes, it makes sense in a way…

Zooming in more, we see the nice details of the book at the feet of Jesus, probably a Bible or some sort of scripture. Note the painfully delicate work of calligraphy! People of old used to pay attention not only to the content of a book (or anything else for that matter) but also to how it was made or delivered to the world. It was about style. Is was about quality, not only quantity. And it was also about beauty. And when talking about sacred books (that is, for God himself), only the best was accepted…

On one of the walls there is a small orgue. Look at the decorations! Note how the colors combine, how they are not excessively strident and how they mix well with each other. Just like the book, the orgue was not meant only to produce sounds (or music), but it was a work of art itself.

I know that most people see an orgue and move on with their visit, but let’s pay attention to details! The organ pipes have some slits through which the air (and I suppose that the sound as well) goes outside. They are adorned with small heads of what I believe to be roaring lions, which is kind of cute…

There is a kind of phobia in which there is an abnormal fear that the statues might move (towards) or talk (to you). It’s called automatonophobia and you can get it easily in a Catholic church. In my opinion, it is important not to answer if a statue talks to you… and also ignore it completely if you see that it’s moving. My advice is based on the fact that this doesn’t happen, but if it does happen, you most likely have auditory and/or visual hallucinations, which is a sign of a serious disease and not at all a sign of spiritual awakening (though some people would argue the contrary). On the other hand, there is also a kinky sexual deviation, derived from fetishism, that involves performing sex with statues (although a platonic relationship is also possible). It has a name of its own (pygmalionism) but, in case this crosses your mind, it is advisable to refrain from publicly discussing this further, at least in Romania. In Quills, the rather challenging (to say the least) movie, this subject is further explored in relation to a similar Virgin Mary of a smaller size.

At the feet of the said Virgin Mary there is a hole which can be seen in the image above. It is a memento mori for everyone, outright sinners or novelty-fearful sinners alike. It is also a reminder that our destination is unique (that is, death), which is something that should, in normal circumstances, set us free (like, everyone dies, eventually, finally, anyway). For the Catholic church (and the entire Christianity, truth to be told) it is also the embodiment of the idea of what Nietzsche called “the otherworld” or “the second world”: this transient present life is more or less an illusion and a preparation for the “real life” which follows after death (hence fundamentally lacks any meaning apart from its preparatory aim for “the beyond”), while the eternal afterlife is the “real deal” so… Watch out, sinners! Have fear! Repent! On the other hand, one could argue that it is not conducive to one’s peace of mind to know that we only begin to truly live (in the otherworld) once we die (in this world), this being an blunt devaluation of the current life (which could very well be the only one, who knows?!) while putting a lot of weight and significance on a future, yet-to-begin existence we have no certitude and no information about.

It is rather rare for me to photograph corpses, skulls in particular (I think this is the first time). But it’s an excellent occasion to meditate on what one would like to do with the rest of one‘s life, given that this image is the absolute destination of us all. “One” in the previous sentence includes me but also… you!

Another perspective from inside, a rather atypical one. I’m heading to a place that is less viewed by the hurried visitor.

But let’s enjoy some more details first…

… and meditate on the amount of work and dedication of the people of old; they had the persistence to create absolutely useless things, uniquely for the sake of beauty and as a sacrifice (and gratitude) for the spiritual life. What kind of spiritual life do you still have? Can you stop being pragmatic, at least for some moments, and do something just for the sake of beauty or for the sake of its transcendental quality?

If you raise your eyes up in that spot, you will see frescoes up on the wall. The time has spared them, as well as their relative inaccessibility. Yes, the church used to be painted in colorful frescoes! I wish I could turn back in time, 600 years ago, and see again those images that are forever lost. When the first time machine goes into production, count me in!

There are many more things to be discovered in the church of St. Michel… Perhaps next time… If you happen to come here, take some time to meditate and stop – for God’s sake, Stop!!! – to enjoy the atmosphere and the details. You might learn something new about yourself.