The Reformed Church of Țeghea

Țeghea is a little village located south-eastward to Carei, between Craidorolț and Mihăieni and it was mentioned for the first time in 1279 in the following written text: “Comes Petrus, filius Chepani, homo noster nobilis de Chegen” then later, it was probably listed in the record of the Papal Tithe of 1332. It was named after the Crasna (Kraszna) stream. From administrational point of view, earlier it was the part of Solnocul de Mijloc and Sălaj  counties, but today belongs to Satu Mare county. Since the medieval times, it was owned by the Bishop of Transylvania, György Fráter, the Csáky family, Voivode Bertalan Drágffy, István Báthori, Gábor Bethlen and Francis II Rákóczi, who owned it as part of the Tășnad domaine.

At the beginning of the 17^th century, it probably had a flourishing congregation, because Prince Gabriel Bethlen donated a part of the tithe to the clergyman of Țeghea. At the turn of the 17^th and 18^th centuries, because of the several destructions caused by the wars, its population had seriously decreased, then in the 1750s started to slowly increase, but it was still considered to be a small village. In the 18^th century the Balog family was its main patron, the church was renovated several times on their expenses, the church bells were cast by them, and the family also donated the furniture and the liturgical objects. Today, Țeghea is a pertaining church of the Reformed Church of Mihăileni.

The church of Țeghea is oriented toward east, it has got only one aisle and it was considered to be built in the 13^th century, but the most recent researches could not prove this.

The existing tower was built by the congregation in the 20^th century, previously only its lower part was walled and the upper part was hoarded timberwork, and before that a belfry was built in the front of the southern facade.

The church made of brick partly retained its medieval style. Among its original windows, there were segmental arched, slightly lanceted and round arched windows, and it probably had not got any stone framed windows. Its former western door was probably walled up when the entrance on the tower’s side was built, and also a new door was cut on the southern side. The body of the church and the apse ending in a straight line and lacking buttresses are separated by a lancet arched chancel arch. Among its medieval elements only the print of the vault can be seen, and the gate of the sacristy on the northern and a little tabernacle side, and a sedilia and another small niche on the southern side were recently discovered. The archaeological excavations of 2014 found out that the still existing building was built at least in three phases, and according to its present form, it can be dated back to the 15^th century.

The apse built in the first building phrase was shorter than the present one, but it had the same width, and it was erected without a buttress or sacristy. However, even before this, there might have been another church, proved by the fact that the founding of the apse was built on some of the graves of the cemetery established here.

The restoration of this monument was recently finished, and during this process, it got a new coffered ceiling and the excavated medieval elements had been exhibited. Inside, there is an exhibition presenting the history of slowly disappearing congregation and their church.