Ilieni

ILYEFALVA

is a commune located in Covasna County, south-eastern Transylvania, 7 km south of the county seat Sfântu Gheorghe. The commune is composed of three villages:

• Dobolii de Jos / Aldoboly
• Ilieni / Illyefalva
• Sâncraiu / Sepsiszentkirály

There is archaeological evidence of the area having been populated since the Bronze Age. The place was first time mentioned in a church tax inventory as "Villa Helye" in 1332. In the Middle Ages, having the rights of a market town, the settlement was more important than today. The abundance of arable lands in the area (within the historical Háromszék region), and trade relations with nearby Saxon settlements, including Braşov, contributed to the sound economic basis of the community.

Also resulting from its geographical location, the Székely settlement, during its history, was often subject to foreign military campaigns. The most tragical of these attacks was in 1658, when the fortified church of the village was successfully conquered by allied Turkish and Moldavian forces, who killed all the defending fighters and threw their bodies into the well of the stronghold. Surviving villagers were taken to custody.

Since the fall of communism in 1989, the local community has been successful in developing viable economic activities, mostly based on agriculture and food industry, but a conference centre, a youth hostel and guest houses in the area also contribute to the revival of the settlement.

ALDOBOLY

It is a satellite village of Illyefalva, lying south of it on the borderline of Seklerland and Saxonland. Being populated by both Hungarian and Romanian inhabitants, the village has fulfilled the role of a bridge between different regions and nations. Both congregations, the Reformed and the Orthodox ones have their own churches. The Reformed church dating back to the 19^th century is located in the centre of the settlement. In 1944, during the military conflicts between the Russian-Romanian and the Nazi troops, the church was deteriorated several times, thus in 1946 it had to be reconstructed. Its tower attained its current shape in 1948. The panels decorated with floral motifs that are painted on the front side of the benches were made by folk artist Nagy Béla in 1973. The Orthodox church, whose patron saint is Saint Dumitru, was built in 1895.

The best-known attraction of the settlement is the Hollaky Mansion, which was established between the 17^th and 18^th centuries, and which needs redecorating  The fortress-like building is considered to be unique in Háromszék due to its arcades, its beams decorated with rose patterns and the wall-paintings hanging on the walls of the big hall.  The paintings evoking Szent László`s legend were made by artist Varga Nándor Lajos in 1930. Another building that draws visitors` attention is the Reznek-Kósa House built in the 19^th century

SEPSISZENTKIRÁLY

It is a settlement belonging to Illyefalva that lies in the eastern foreground of the Baróti Mountains at merely 4 km from Sepsiszentgyörgy.

On the hilltop rising above the village there is an Unitarian church dating back to the 15^th century, where the Gothic doorframe of the sacristy was found at the beginning of the 1900s. The church is surrounded by an oval-shaped wall made of stone. The cemetery surrounding the church gives home to tombs of significant personalities in the history of the settlement such as: Lieutenant Kiss Áron (1823--1875) : according to the local legend he succeeded in manufacturing a self-operating carriage with the help of the local Gipsy blacksmith; as well as Lieutenant Sükösd János and Major Vida Dániel.

The Reformed church was built in 1879 in the same place as the former one.

An interesting architectural attraction is the stone bridge built in 1860, which bends above the Szentkirály Creek (in the valley of Dugás) that is located in the western part of the settlement. There is a riding-school in Szentkirály where local residents organize horse-races and carriage driving competitions every year.