The Fortified Church of Șeica Mare (Biserica Fortificată din Șeica Mare) is a historic Lutheran church in the village of Șeica Mare, Sibiu County. The building began as a 13th-century Romanesque basilica and was heavily transformed during the 16th century, when the church itself was adapted for defense.
The original three-aisled basilica was protected from the 15th century by a large fortified enclosure with corner towers and a gate tower. Inside the walls were not only the church but also storage rooms, the old town hall, a school and even a prison, showing how the fortified precinct functioned as a protected center of village life.
During the 16th century, major changes were made to the church itself. The northern aisle was demolished and part of the southern aisle was reduced, while the wooden ceiling of the nave was replaced by a ribbed barrel vault. The original semicircular apse was replaced by a polygonal choir, which was then raised with two defensive levels. The year 1563 is still recorded on the upper defensive structure, and traces of decorative painting survive on the exterior walls.
The church changed again around 1800, when it was extended westward by roughly one third. A new bell tower was added to the western façade in 1806, giving the building much of its present silhouette.
The surrounding fortifications survived into the modern period but were demolished in 1906. The current wrought-iron fence was added two years later, while the school was built over part of the former defensive perimeter. Inside the church, the ribbed barrel vault of the nave and the cross vault of the surviving aisle remain, together with a Baroque pulpit and an altar dating from 1776.
