The need to preserve letters considered important by the Reformed Church became evident in the decades following the Reformation, but an archive as a dedicated repository emerged only in the second half of the eighteenth century. The first finding aid for the church’s correspondence was compiled in 1823. The archive, then comprising nearly one hundred documents, was kept in secure compartmented cabinets. As the archival holdings continued to expand, the establishment of an institution providing suitable conditions for storage and arrangement became essential.

Following the commencement of archival work in the Church District Archives in Cluj in 1960, a branch of the district archive was established in Târgu Mureș in 1961, in the basement of the church-owned Teleki House. During the 1980s, the archival holdings were relocated on three occasions. In 1987, they were finally placed in the upstairs rooms of the eastern wing of the Teleki House. Since 2018, the archive has operated in the Makariás House at 45–47 Revoluției Street.

Archivists: Béla Nagy (1959–1967), Elek Farczády (1961–1967), Árpád Farkas (1971–1977), Gyöngyvér Bartha (1978–2002), Árpád Róbert Berekméri (2003–)

Archival Holdings

The Târgu Mureș Collecting Archive preserves nearly 300 linear metres of archival records. A significant part of the holdings consists of the archives of five dioceses (Maros/Mureș, Görgény/Gurghiu, Bekecsalja, Ludas/Luduș, and Dicső/Târnăveni), several parishes (including Târgu Mureș, Gerendkeresztúr, Torboszló, Székelycsóka–Kisgörgény, Székelytompa, Sovata, and Tancs), educational institutions (the Reformed College of Târgu Mureș, the Reformed Girls’ School, and the Reformed School of Galambod), and other church institutions (the Board of Trustees and Cemetery Administration of the Reformed Parishes of Târgu Mureș). The collection also contains documentary and material estates associated with individuals connected to the church.

Research Services

Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

Research is available by prior appointment.