Großau, founded after the middle of the 12th century, belongs to a group of villages in southern Transylvania that are characterized by common architectural features. These are the villages of: Heltau, Freck, Großscheuern, Schellenberg, Hahnbach, Großau, Hermannstadt, Holzmengen, Neppendorf, Hammersdorf, etc. Großau was a large village with around 100 inhabitants when it was founded. And yet the construction of a Romanesque basilica only began around 1250. This reached as far as today’s choir and had a floor space of 420 square meters. This particularly large space suggests that Großau had around 400 – 600 inhabitants at this time. At the end of the 13th century, the church was surrounded by palisades. After the middle of the 14th century, the village set itself an ambitious goal, as few villages did at the time: to replace the old basilica with a new hall building. The work that had begun had to be interrupted, however, as the emerging Turkish threat made the expansion of the fortifications seem more urgent. The inner ring wall, which is still partially preserved today, was probably built at the end of the 14th century. In the following century, the outer wall of the ring was also built and reinforced with 5 square towers with pyramid roofs. Four of these five towers have survived to this day. The double ring wall enclosed a usable area of around 4500 square meters, which corresponded to a population of around 900 inhabitants.

Around 1500, 2 forecourts were added to the north of the fortified church. A double wall separated them from each other. The rectory was built in the first forecourt. As the village lost much of its former strength over the following centuries (this is reflected in the sometimes dramatic decline in the number of inhabitants: over 800 in 1488, 450 in 1536 and only 320 in 1712), the fortified church was repeatedly captured by the enemy. In 1599 by the troops of the Wallachian prince Mihai Viteazul and in September 1658 by the Tartars. Nevertheless, attempts were made time and again to maintain the castle’s defensive capabilities. Part of the curtain wall was rebuilt as late as 1731. This is commemorated by a keystone with a head of Christ and the inscription, carved into the southern outer wall: “Ano 1731 D. April 25”.

After 1750, the inner walls to the north, east and south-east were demolished. The tower in the west above the old entrance was brought down by the floods of the Zibin. In its place, another entrance was erected to the south and a castle guard’s dwelling was built next to it. The following inscription can be found on the beam above the gateway: “MD. G.S. 1764”. Work was also carried out on the eastern wall of the fortified church around this time. The inscription found in 1975 is a reminder of this: “Anno 171 May 10 Thomas Zeck villicus, Michael Fleischer”. At the beginning of the 20th century (1904-1905), a stone wall was built on the Zibin under Pastor Konnerth to protect the fortified church.

In 1937, a memorial stone was erected in the Kirchenburg courtyard, on which the names of the 52 Protestant victims of the First World War that Großau had to mourn were engraved. In 1979 – 1983, the names of the victims of the Second World War were also added to the extended memorial and in 1983 the names of the victims of deportation to the USSR. During this time, the castle chambers on the inner ring wall were demolished. However, the partition walls on the west side were preserved and 3 chambers were left standing on the south side so that visitors could imagine what it was once like. During renovation work in 1981, a lime pit was excavated on the north side of the castle courtyard, in which a mass grave was discovered. Skull bones of children and adults were found.

In the 13th century, a three-aisled pillar basilica dedicated to St. Servatius was built in Großau. The remains of this church have been preserved:

1. the lower part of the Romanesque bell tower;
2. the western part of the cross-vaulted northern aisle, of which the remains of the former vaulting have been preserved. Today, this remnant of a side aisle forms an enclosed space to the north of the bell tower;
3. a small tower of the wall of the western part of the southern aisle;
4. inside the church, a pillar attachment of the first arcade arch.

The nave is covered by a net vault supported by six high, octagonal pillars. The side aisles only have temporary vaults, which are only later replaced by the current vault caps. The choir rooms all have simple ribbed cross vaults. The ribs are supported by small consoles and meet in simple keystones. The naves and choirs are lit by high pointed arch windows. The round tower, which leans against the north wall of the floor-to-ceiling sacristy, provides access to the attic of the church via a spiral staircase, a phenomenon that we encounter several times, for example in Mühlbach, Sibiu, Malmkrog and at the Sighisoara Mountain Church. Around 1570, the northern side choir next to the spiral staircase was separated from the main choir and the side aisle and converted into a sacristy. The so-called angel’s gallery was built above it. In 1736, Pastor Eckhart reports that the church has been devastated like a “murder pit”. He endeavors to restore the church, with the active help of the Sibiu councillor Daniel Klockner, who is the town’s inspector. Some Sibiu residents donated large sums of money for the restoration of the windows.
At the end of the 18th century, galleries were built into the south aisle of the choir. Their outer walls are painted with folk motifs and bear inscriptions and the dates 1794 and 1795. In the fall of 1916, the church is shelled by Romanian artillery and badly damaged. It can only be used again after renovation.
Electricity is introduced permanently in 1958. Prior to this, there was only temporary electric lighting. Between 1979 and 1981, the damage caused by the earthquakes of 1940 and 1977 is repaired in a joint effort involving 1140 days of work. Numerous bricklayers, carpenters, plumbers, painters, locksmiths and other craftsmen helped for 89 days free of charge, as did 1230 helpers.

“The altar with the Crucifixion as the main image and the Entombment below it dates from 1719 and is a testimony to local Baroque art; the rococo-style altar crowning was added towards the end of the 18th century.” (Gündisch).
Like the organ, the altar has four medallions decorated with carved frames depicting the history of salvation dating from 1785. The main image of the crucifixion is flanked by the wooden figures of the apostles Peter and Paul. These are each framed by two columns. Under each pillar there is a text from the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of John on the history of salvation.
On the crucifixion picture, we see Mary and Jesus’ favorite disciple, John, beneath the cross. Both are looking up at the crucified man. Above the main picture we read: “It is finished! Father! I commend my spirit into your hands.”

In the medallion on the left, the angel announces to Mary the joyful news that she will give birth to the Savior. Mary is reading the Old Testament. The medallion on the right depicts the birth of the Savior and the adoration of the shepherds. The Trinity is depicted on the globe above the crucifixion: God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Son is symbolized by the cross and the Holy Spirit by the dove. On the left-hand side of this picture, a medallion depicts the Resurrection, while a medallion on the right-hand side shows the Ascension. In a slightly larger medallion above this image, Christ is depicted as the Judge of the World and the resurrection of the dead as the damned and saved. Crowning the altar is the angel with the trumpet of the Last Judgement. On the back of the altar is a plaque with the following inscription: “This altar, originally erected in 1719 under the pastor Michael Gross, was restored and repaired in 1889 through the sacrifice of the local Protestant women’s association under the pastorate of Martin Malmer.” We have clear evidence of the existence of organs in Transylvania as early as the 13th century. If foreign organ builders certainly built the instruments in the beginning, there are also Saxon organ builders from the 17th century at the latest.
In 1675, Johann Vest builds an organ in Großau, which is sold to Neppendorf in 1752, where it remains until 1809. It is possible that parts of the old organ façade remained in Großau.
The present organ dates from 1775 – 1782 and was built by Johann Hann from Hermannstadt. It has 12 sounding stops and a Rückpositiv with King David with the harp on its small façade. The installation of the organ was a special event for Großau. Old account books mention expenditure in this regard (“for 25 mahs of old wine for the organ builder and journeymen, 6 fl. 60 denarii”, “18 pounds of cheese, 2 mahs of barley 1 fl. 92 not included eggs and Bochflisch from each landlord”). The organ is repaired several times over the course of time and adapted to the tastes of the time. Wartime events also leave their mark. It was destroyed in 1944 and was reduced to a mere torso.
In 1969, the organ was restored by organ builder Johann Mesny from Tîrgu Mureş on the basis of documents that had been found. The renovated organ has retained its old Baroque sound and has become “a work of noble originality”, which is also suitable for demanding organ music. There are two pews on the northern side wall of the choir. One is the parish pew, which is located opposite the main entrance to the church. It bears the following inscription in a medallion: “In memory of THOMAS DENGEL died on October 19, 1879, dedicated by his faithful wife and grateful children in 1880”. There is a second pew on the same side of the choir room. This stands to the right of the parish stalls, separated from them by the vestry door. It bears the following inscription: “In memory of Josef Rastel gewes: Mühl Pächter, u. Meister, gest. im 37. Lebensjahr den 14 April 1883. verehrt von seiner muertenden Gattin Elisa Rastel, geb. Riedler”.
On the vestry door we can read the following inscription: “In memory of Elisabeth Rastel Meister Mühlers, daughter, died February 6, 1883”.