GYÁRFÁS MANOR

Cristuru Secuiesc (Székelykeresztúr) first appears in written sources in 1332 under the name „Sancta Crux”. The name „Keresztúr” was first recorded in 1505, and not much later it was already identified with the „Székely” designation. The market town was the centre of the autonomous Seat of Keresztúr. „Keresztúrfalva”, where the manor house in question stood, was united with Cristuru Secuiesc in 1883.

On the site of the Gyárfás Manor stood a 15th-century building, the remains of which were uncovered during recent archaeological excavations. Research indicates that this house was built by the Nyújtódi family and was destroyed sometime at the end of the 16th century. The Catholic Nyújtódi family left the settlement for a period during the second half of the 16th century – probably after a significant part of the population of Cristuru Secuiesc converted to the Unitarian faith. The family returned only at the end of the 16th century or the beginning of the 17th century, after which they embarked on a new building campaign. At that time, the south-western wing that forms the core of the present manor house was constructed.

At the beginning of the 17th century, the manor belonged to Demeter Nyújtódi and was later inherited by his sons, Ferenc and Demeter Nyújtódi. In the middle of the 17th century, the estate came into the possession of Mátyás Huszár. Mátyás Huszár de Brenhida was one of the most prominent members of the Transylvanian branch of the family: he served as princely chief carver, master of the horse, lord lieutenant of Küküllő County, and captain-general of Marosszék. His father, Péter Huszár, was a distinguished figure in the anti-Ottoman struggles of the age and settled in Transylvania from Transdanubia at the invitation of Zsigmond Báthory. The most important Transylvanian estates of the Huszár family were located at Apalina (Abafája) and Filiaș (Fiatfalva). Filiaș situated in the vicinity of Cristuru Secuiesc, came into the possession of Mátyás Huszár as a donation from Prince György Rákóczi I. After his death in 1652, his estates were inherited by his daughter Borbála and her first husband, György Torma. Incidentally, Éva Torma, the mother of Kelemen Mikes, author of the Letters from Turkey, was born from the marriage of Borbála Huszár and György Torma. In 1676, Borbála Huszár married her second husband, János Nemes de Hídvég, captain-general of Háromszék, and their wedding was celebrated at the castle of Filiaș. The couple had two sons, of whom Domokos Nemes received the Filiaș estate, while Mátyás Nemes inherited the Cristuru Secuiesc estate.

From the 18th century onward, Cristuru Secuiesc and Filiaș were inherited through the female line and for a long time shared the same owners. By the middle of the century, the estates were in the hands of Klára, daughter of Mátyás Nemes and Borbála Ugron. She was succeeded by her only daughter, Julianna Bethlen, born from her marriage to Count Sámuel Bethlen de Bethlen. Julianna Bethlen married Farkas Wesselényi, of their daughters, Júlia received the Cristuru Secuiesc estate, while Orsolya inherited the Filiaș estate. Information about the manor’s condition in the 19th century comes from an inventory compiled in 1812 after the death of Farkas Wesselényi, in which both the Filiaș and Cristuru Secuiesc properties were listed.

In 1819, Cristuru Secuiesc was inherited by Pál Kemény, the son of Júlia Wesselényi and Lajos Kemény de Gyerőmonostor. His marriage to Rákhel Teleki produced Polixéna Kemény, who became the wife of Domokos Gyárfás de Lécfalva in 1839. In 1854, Polixéna Kemény inherited the estate and the manor house standing there, thereby bringing them into the ownership of the Gyárfás family. In 1862, Domokos Gyárfás also established the centre of his estate here. The couple had two children, Endre and Malvin. The estate was inherited by Endre, who restored and modernised the manor house in 1888.

The construction history of the manor is summarised by a stone plaque placed above the main entrance, which states: „E ház három izben épült. 1728 – 1746 és 1775-ben. Javittatta Gyárfás Endre 1888-ban.” („This house was built on three occasions: in 1728, 1746 and 1775. Repaired by Endre Gyárfás in 1888.”) Based on this inscription, it may be assumed that the manor acquired its present form during the period when it was owned by the Bethlen and Wesselényi families.

The last owners of the manor before nationalisation were Pál Gyárfás and Judit Fejérváry. Pál Gyárfás did not live to see the nationalisation, and after being deported, his widow emigrated to England. The couple had no children, and thus the Cristuru Secuiesc branch of the Gyárfás family became extinct.

Following nationalisation, the manor housed a maternity ward, a pulmonary hospital, and, during the 1990s, an educational centre for Csángó children. From the early 2000s until 2024, it served as a centre for severely disabled children. The building was continuously maintained and therefore survived this challenging period in good condition.

The manor is currently owned by the local council. Between 2024 and 2026, it underwent restoration, with special attention given to the wall paintings and the stucco decoration of the ceilings. From the original furnishings, a piano, three family photo albums, and a dining-room cupboard were preserved and can now be viewed in the restored building. Community spaces will be created within the manor, making use of the cellars, the ground floor, and the attic level as well.

The Gyárfás Manor stands in the north-western part of the town, in the middle of a park. The single-storey building has an L-shaped floor plan. Its main façade is emphasised by an open porch supported by two rectangular pillars and crowned with a triangular pediment. Above the main entrance, a stone plaque bears the inscription about the construction. Behind the porch is an entrance hall whose rectangular block projects from the plane of the building. The rounded corners of this section are framed by pilasters with composite capitals. On its right-hand corner stands a white marble plaque commemorating the visit of Petőfi. The memorial plaque was installed in 1928 at the initiative of Kálmán Szentiváni, a teacher at the Unitarian Gymnasium of Cristuru Secuiesc. Another memorial plaque on the main façade commemorates General József Bem, an important military figure of the Revolution of 1848–1849. The entrance to the cellar is located on the left side of the entrance hall.

Along the courtyard façade runs an L-shaped veranda. It is supported by rectangular pillars with chamfered edges and features an openwork balustrade. The veranda was probably built during the alterations of 1888. Initially open, it was enclosed around 1970. During the restoration, it was returned to its original appearance. The façades of the manor are articulated by simple rectangular windows and pilasters with composite capitals. The same articulation can be observed on the rear façade behind the columned veranda.

The most significant room of the manor is the „Great Hall” in the western wing, whose ceiling is decorated with Baroque and Rococo stucco work. These stuccoes depict vegetal motifs, ribbons, and rocaille-style ornaments. The stucco decorations most likely date from the second half of the 18th century, as they are already mentioned in the inventory compiled in 1812: „Passing through a plain, unpainted, boarded pine door, opening in two leaves on four iron hinges, without a key but with a complete lock, into the Great Hall, whose elegant unpainted stucco ornamentation, on the southern side about the middle, had collapsed in a small section because the ends of the beams had rotted.” An interesting feature of the stuccoes is that they were probably made by hand on site, as some elements are rendered dynamically and in great detail, while others are executed less precisely. Hand-modelled stucco was characteristic until the 18th century, after which prefabricated elements became more common. The hall’s windows were most likely arranged during the same period in which the stuccoes were created; they feature elegant arched tops that harmonise well with the ceiling decoration. Originally there may have been three windows in this room, while the northern entrance was probably created by converting the third window. In addition to the Great Hall, the adjacent room, covered by a barrel vault and decorated with stucco, was likely equally representative. These two rooms were most probably created during the Baroque period, in the course of the 1775 building campaign.

The manor was once decorated both inside and outside with wall paintings, which have survived only in a highly fragmentary state. Around the windows of the main façade, fragments of paintings imitating architectural elements or window frames can still be seen. The illusionistic exterior decoration, executed in shades of red and ochre, may be the result of 19th-century interventions. In the Great Hall, traces of decorative painting from two different periods are visible; both were created using stencils and depict stylised floral ornaments.

Beneath the main entrance of the manor, a timber-framed doorway leads into the vaulted cellar supported by pillars. On one of the wooden frame posts, a carved rosette can be seen alongside the date 1746. This date also appears on the stone plaque above the main entrance, making it possible that it indicates a phase in the manor’s construction. The post, however, is in a secondary position; it probably originally belonged to a Székely gate, the original location of which is unknown. The 1812 inventory mentions a Székely gate with a pigeon loft, above whose entrance stood the inscription „Anno 1758. Diebus Juli.” The two cellar rooms beneath the western wing of the manor may date from the 15th–16th centuries, while the cellar beneath the Great Hall is of later origin.

Sándor Petőfi spent his last evening at the Gyárfás Manor on 30 July 1849. The following day he departed from Cristuru Secuiesc for the Battle of Albești (Fehéregyháza), from which he never returned. Sándor Petőfi visited the manor at the invitation of Zsigmond Varga, and for supper he was served polenta made with buffalo milk in the manor’s great dining room. The events of that evening are known from a letter of recollection written in 1899 by Zsigmond Varga the Younger, the son of Zsigmond Varga, to Endre Gyárfás: „On 30 July 1849, General Bem arrived in Cristuru Secuiesc with his small camp […] Later, word spread that Petőfi had also arrived and was up in the market square. Upon hearing this news, my father immediately hurried to the square and found Petőfi standing in front of the shop of the merchant Antal Novák, conversing with others. He invited him to supper for buffalo-milk polenta. He gladly and happily accepted the invitation. […] After supper, which passed in a very cheerful atmosphere, they went out into the garden and, sitting down on the benches, soon began to sing […] The pleasant company remained together in this mood until midnight. At twelve o’clock everyone departed for their lodgings. At parting, Petőfi promised that if the battle ended favourably, he would return. He did not return, but his spirit remained in people’s hearts.”

The events that took place in the garden are surrounded by several legends. According to one of them, while sitting beneath the pear tree, Petőfi wrote a short three-line poem in the hostess’s daughter’s autograph album at her request. If the legend is true, this would have been the poet’s last poem, although no evidence of it has survived. It is also said that Petőfi recited his poem „Egy gondolat bánt engemet…” („One Thought Troubles Me…”) that evening, but there are no reliable sources confirming this either. The remains of the pear tree beneath which the guests spent the evening can still be seen in the park today, protected by a pavilion built around it. In front of the tree, a small memorial plaque bears a poem written by Sándor Kányádi in 1954: „Haldoklik az öreg tanú,/ Petőfi vén körtefája./ Azt beszélik ő látta volt/ verset írni utoljára.” („The old witness is dying,/ Petőfi’s ancient pear tree./ They say it saw him/ writing poetry for the last time.”) The pear tree died in the early 1970s, but it was replanted several times afterwards. Today it has become an important symbol of the settlement and a place of remembrance.

1. János Fehér, Ansamblul Conacului Gyárfás din Cristuru Secuiesc (jud. Harghita). Studiu preliminar de istoria artei. Baraolt, 2023.
2. Anna-Mária Mednyánszky Simó – Zsolt-István Mednyánszky Simó, Cercetare de parament. Conacul Gyárfás. Str. Petőfi Sándor 34 Cristuru Secuiesc. Odorheiu Secuiesc, 2023.
3. Zsolt Nyárádi, Raport de diagnostic arheologic. Cristuru Secuiesc (jud. Harghita), Str. Petőfi Sándor nr. 34 (Conacul Gyárfás). Odorheiu Secuiesc, 2023.