The Route

The Route of Medieval Churches leads through the north-eastern regions of the Carpathian Basin, Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County, the landscapes of Partium and Transcarpathia that once belonged to the Kingdom of Hungary, but today they can be found within the borders of three different countries.

Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County was created by uniting the one-time Szabolcs County and those parts of Szatmár and Bereg counties that were joined to Hungary. The county lies in the north-eastern part of Hungary and at the eastern border of the European Union at the same time. Its unique characteristic feature at national level is that it lies at the meeting point of 4 countries and as a result of this the international integration of the region is very strong. Due to the geopolitical location and territorial integrity of the county it has a traditionally strong relationship with Transcarpathia and Satu Mare County. Inthe direction of Transcarpathia it has border crossing points at Záhony, Beregsurány, Tiszabecs, Barabás and Lónya, while towardsSatu Mare County there are border crossing points at Csengersima, Vállaj and Ömböly.

The Route of Medieval Churches concerns directly Satu Mare County in Romania currently. Satu Mare County is located inthe north-western part of Romania, at the meeting point of the Tisza Plateau, the Eastern Carpathians and the Szamos Plateau, in the region of the lower section of River Szamos, it borders Ukraine inthe north, Hungary inthe west, JudețulBihor / Bihar County inthe south,JudețulSălaj/Szilágy County inthe south-east, and JudețulMaramureș / Máramaros County inthe east. Satu Mare County belongs to the region of Partium and its county town is Satu Mare / Szatmárnémeti. Direct connection to Hungary is guaranteed by five border crossing points, Petea / Pete (road), Urziceni / Csanálos (road), Halmeu / Halmi (road and railway), Berveni / Börvely (railway) and Satu Mare / Szatmárnémeti (air). According to the latest census the populationof Satu Mare County consists of 54,6% Romanian, 34,5% Hungarian and a smaller proportion of Roma and German inhabitants. The rate of Hungarian inhabitants is the greatest in Satu Mare County right after Harghita / Hargita, Covasna / Kovászna and Mures / Maros counties (JudețulBihor / Bihar County is at the fifth place). The proportion of Hungarian people is the most significant in the region of ȚinutulSecuiesc / Szeklerland, but the Hungarian minority is significant in those counties that belong to the region of Partium. The proportion of German minority that once represented great numbers has almost completely disappeared from the region throughout the 20th century.

Transcarpathia is located in the south-western part of Ukraine, containing south-western parts of the Carpathian Mountains and part of the Central Danubian Plain. It borders Poland to the north-west, Slovakia to the west, Hungary to the south-west and Romania to the south. Transcarpathia plays some kind of a bridge role between the European Union and Eastern-Europe as one of the eastern border sections (that is a border of the Schengen Area) of the European Union can be found here and increased control is implemented along it.  Social development of Transcarpathia was affected to great extent by the significant historical periods of the region: the 1000-year Hungarian, the 1920-39 Czechoslovakian, the 1945-1990 Soviet and the period of belonging to the independent Ukraine from 1991. Its buffer zone location and the changes of borders resulted the blending of different nationalities into a tight bond.Transcarpathia is one of the ethnically diverse and multilingual regions of the Carpathian Basin despite the fact that current conditions can barely be compared to the diversity of the periods at the beginning of the 20th century or prior to WWII. The rate of Ukrainian-Ruthenian nationality is 80,5% while the largest minority is that of the Hungarian (12,1%), the third largest ethnic is the Romanian (2,6%). Hungarian population is characterized by strong territorial concentration, they mainly live inthe plain regions of Transcarpathia that are close to the Hungarian border, in larger municipalities along the Tisza and in some of the larger towns like Ungvár, Munkács, Nagyszőlős.

The Route of Medieval Churches presents the historical heritage of the region formulated by the counties of these three countries. 

Hungary - Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County

Fairy-field is the land of rivers, the scene of the special symbiotic relationship between the locals and water. The waterways criss-cross this land and also the history of its communities.

The rivers of Tisza, Szamos and Kraszna both protected and destroyed the local people at the same time. As a result of frequent flooding and the surges of inland water, marshes and moors were created and maintained providing shelter from various armies attacking from Asia now,

then from Europe throughout the centuries. The areas of Szatmár-Bereg, Rétköz as well as Nyíri-Mezőség had been ruled by waters until the 19th century, when the big river regulation projects were launched. The floods kept threatening and destroying the local communities, while the inland waters forced them to accommodate. Despite the difficulties, the swamps and moors also provided protection and the evils of pre-modernity were long prevented from causing harm. This factor makes the architectural heritage of the region unique, since this ‘splendid isolation’ protected the heritage from the Middle Ages in the times of bloodshed and looting. This is why the array of mediaeval churches, the unique community structure of tiny villages, and the richness of folk traditions can still be found in this part of the Great Plain.

Among the swelling rivers, the backwaters left behind after the river regulation projects, and the areas under nature reservation protection, the remnants of the past are there everywhere. The villages of Fairy-field feature an incredible wealth of the folk culture heritage as

well as the cluster of probably the most beautiful village churches of the Hungarian ecclesiastical architecture and art from the Middle Ages. The churches of Csaroda, Lónya, Csengersima, Sonkád, Nyírbátor or Csenger are outstanding relics, while Máriapócs is one of the most famous and visited pilgrimage places of the Carpathian-Basin. Romanesque, Gothicism and Baroque left a unique heritage behind embodying Fairy-field’s most precious values of sacral architecture. Máriapócs is a holy place of the Hungarian Greek-Catholics, Nyíregyháza is a „stronghold” of God and His Lutherans, while the region of Szatmár-Bereg is the cradle of Protestants. Stories of defensiveness and rebellion are also there in the early-modern history of the region with the memories of castles and the walls of fortresses. The community called Szabolcs has the biggest and best preserved earth castle of Central-Europe from the times of the Hungarian Conquest. Vaja is unique on the Great Plain with its Renaissance castle, while Kisvárda boasts one of the most significant strongholds there. Nyírbátor is the ancient nest of the Báthory family, representing an inseparable part of Hungarian history. Among the secular buildings of Baroque, Classicism and Eclecticism, the glitzy castles of the county aristocracy stand out. The Andrássy castle in Tiszadob, the Lónyay castle in Tuzsér, the Tomcsányi castle in Vásárosnamény, the Kölcsey-Kende mansion in Cégénydányád are all gems of the architecture of this period. This area stands guard for the culture and values of the past periods.

The museums all over the county in Nyíregyháza, Vásárosnamény, Nyírbátor, Tiszavasvári, Mátészalka and Kisvárda serve as safes of this treasure. The memories of the world of folk tales, folk songs, folk customs along with the preserved practices of the traditional peasant farming and buildings of architecture have been living on in this area. The county’s most beautiful and unique pieces of folk architecture can be found in Túristvándi, Szatmárcseke and Tákos. Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County is the unique part of Hungary, and a place of pilgrimage for those loving Hungarian literature. This is the birthplace of the greats of Hungarian literature and the great pieces of their work. The national Anthem was put on paper here on January 22nd, 1823, and this area inspired Sándor Petőfi the poet so much. On this „fairy island” Zsigmond Móricz spent the happiest years of his childhood. This area is from where György Bessenyei, the most distinguished representative of the Hungarian Enlightenment, set off. Nyíregyháza was Gyula Krúdy’s inspiring oasis, and Mihály Váci’s most beloved town, ‘fair’ with the sand blown in the wind. Gyula Benczúr, one of the greatest painters of his period, was born and bred here. Barna Sipkay, the well-known publicist and writer was also very closely attached to this town.

Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County is deservedly proud of this invaluable intellectual heritage. Taking the paths of Fairy-field, on the moors and among the lakes, earth castles and charming churches from the age of the Árpád dynasty, the visitor enters a mysterious world of relics where life takes on history if looked at carefully. The genuine speciality of this region is love and warm-heartedness of the locals with which the wanderers are received. The finely restored listed houses and buildings welcome the tourists in a natural and cultural atmosphere that evokes the old ways in the farm- and country houses. The inn-keepers and landlords have become very experienced in the past few years and know very well what the guests are after. The spell and charm of the area is omnipresent, no wonder, therefore, that those who enter through the gates of Fairy-field will fall in love with this fabulous world for good.

Ukraine - Transcarpathia

Churches and monasteries are unique embodiments of the county’s cultural diversity. Systematically describing them we can state that the majority of medieval churches or their remains are located in the lowland part of Transcarpathia and were originally built as catholic churches. The bulk of still existing Roman churches are seen in rebuilt form today, and now they commonly function as Reformed churches (Palad’ Komarivtsi, Dyida). The most valuable among them is the Horiany rotunda (circular temple) which serves now as a Greek Catholic church. Besides its rare architectural solution the frescos of the rotunda are also outstanding; they were painted around 1360 by Italian artists or painters trained in Italy (Deschmann, 1990; Berghauer, 2012). The most famous Gothic churches of the county are the Berehove and Vynohradiv Catholic churches, the size and artistic design of which clearly shows the contemporary status of their host settlements. Among Gothic churches a unique group is composed by Reformed churches, the most valuable of which are the Khust and Vyshkovo fortified churches with painted ceiling, respectively the Tyachiv and Chetfalva churches with painted boarded ceiling.

The feeling of mountainous settlements of Transcarpathia is intensified not only by the picturesque landscape, but by the varied design of wooden churches, too. Wooden churches of the region are unique elements of folk arts, bearing signs of gothic or baroque style. According to their structure they represent four types of layout, but it’s more practical to distinguish them by their builders, the Rusyn ethnographic groups of Transcarpathia (Lemko, Boyko, Hutsul and Dolyniak). The wooden churches with the most special view are the Hutsul ones found in the eastern part of the county, having a five-division structure and a cross-shaped layout. (Horváth & Kovács, 2002). The unique character of the area’s wooden churches is marked by 2 Transcarpathian (Yasinya, Uzhok) and 6 Western Ukrainian churches which were recently added on the UNESCO World Heritage Protection list.

There are 30 functioning monasteries in the county, the most of which are Orthodox, but Greek Catholic and Roman Catholic ones are also found among them. The most famous of the restrictedly visitable cloisters are the St. Nicholas Monastery (Mukacheve) and the Franciscan Monastery in Vynohradiv which are open for the tourists

Concerning the cultural heritage of Transcarpathia we can highlight the role of fortresses and castles. The location and density of the region’s fortresses (the Mukacheve, Uzhhorod, Nevyts’ke, Dovhe fortifications) and their ruins (the forts of Khust, Serednye, Vynohradiv, Korolevo, Kvasovo) show that this land was of great significance in the past because of its strategically important mountain passes and the salt-mining (Deschmann, 1990). From the touristic point of view two fortresses are all-important in Transcarpathia: those of Mukacheve and Uzhhorod (local wording often refers to them as ‘castle’ as well).

Besides the fortresses mentioned above almost a dozen of castles and mansions are also found in Transcarpathia. The majority of them are located in the lowland territories of the county commemorating noble families who once were leaders of the region. The most important ones are the Perényi castle in Vynohradiv, the Karpaty Schönborn castle, the Rákóczi castle in Mukacheve, the Telegdy-Rákóczi fort-castle in Chynadiiovo, the Berehove Bethlen-Rákóczi castle and the Schönborn hunting-seat, also in Berehove. Though only the smaller share of these representative buildings is utilized for touristic purposes (e. g. part of the Berehove Bethlen-Rákóczi castle gives place to a museum, the Karpaty Schönborn castle places the administrative part of a sanitarium); the majority of them is either without any function or fills a totally different part, as the Perényi castle in Vynohradiv which is used as a seat of the local district office of education (Horváth & Kovács, 2002).

In addition, several places of historical interest are found in Transcarpathia. In the lowland area numerous renowned events, battlefields are commemorated by obelisks and memorial tablets. Among them we can found a burying-place of the Árpád age (in Choma), memorial places (the Turul monument of the Rákóczi revolution of 1703–1711 in Vylok) and obelisks (the Pidhoryani battle of 1849 in Mukacheve) recording the events of wars of independence etc. In the mountainous territories historical places of the World Wars I and II are generally known through the remained defense lines and military cemeteries.

The museums with the most significant exhibition material were established in the Soviet period, among them the Transcarpathian Museum of Regional Studies (1945) and the Transcarpathian Museum of Folk Architecture and Life (1970), both in Uzhhorod. The Museum of Local History and Ethnography founded in the fortress of Mukacheve after the change of political regime (1993) is also of great importance. 

Romania - Satu Mare County

Szatmár County (JudețulSatu Mare), Romania

Historical-geographical region situated inthe western part of today’s Romania. Szatmár County is part of Partium besides Máramaros (Maramures), Szilágy County (JudețulSălaj), Bihar (Bihor) and Arad (Arad) Counties. Partium is aregion separate from the historical Transylvania, but in public administrative respects it belongs to Transylvania. Szatmár County was possibly formulated inthe Middle-Ages and it became a royal county at the end of the 13th century. At that time it had 9 castles (including Rozsály) and 12 market towns like Béltek (Beltiug), Csenger, Gyarmat, Károly (Carei) and Szatmár (Satu Mare). It was one of the conflicting points of Hungary torn into three parts, every decade it became the battlefield of party quarrels within families that were made even more severe by religious oppositions caused by the spreading of Reformation. At first the Lutheran teachings were spread but later the Calvinist doctrines were accepted (synod lead by PéterMéliuszJuhász, Csenger, 1576). It was destroyed by the Turkish, Tatars and imperial mercenaries; its borders were suspended and later restored. The Treaty of Trianontore Szatmár County into three parts that were attached to Hungary, Romania and Czechoslovakia. It was united with the Hungarian part of Bereg County in 1923, after the Second Vienna Award it got back its original borders and the region was attached to Hungary. After World War II the borders declared by the Treaty of Trianon were restored. During the period of county planning Szatmár-Bereg County was united with Szabolcs County under the name Szabolcs-Szatmár County (1950), 2 years later it became part of Máramaros(Maramures) district in Romania. At the time of reorganization in 1968,Tasnád (Tășnad) and its surroundings were attached to the Romanian Szatmár (Satu Mare).

The total area of Szatmár county (JudețulSatu Mare) is 4 419 km².Avasság (ȚaraOașului) and a small part of Gutin mountains (MunțiiGutâi) lie inthe north. These mountains that belong to the North-eastern Carpathians formulate 17% of the region. The rest of the region consists of hills (20%) and flatlands that belong to The Great Hungarian Plain. Its most important rivers are the Szamos, Túr and Kraszna.

Tourism of Szatmár County (JudețulSatu Mare)is connected to the famous sights of larger towns, the thermal spas of the county, historical monuments, memorial places of the region’s famous people and rural tourism. Its county town is Szatmárnémeti (Satu Mare), where numerous historical sights of the county can be seen, including the bishop’s palace and the bishop’s chapel at the altar of which SándorPetőfi and JúliaSzendrei swore eternal fidelity.

Szatmár County is very rich in memorial places of literary history. Adyfalva (Érmindszent), the birthplace of EndreAdy may be the most sought after sight of the county, an Ady – pilgrimage site. A significant Kölcseypilgrimage site is Sződemeter (Săuca), the birthplace of FerencKölcsey. Kafka Margit was born in Nagykároly (Carei). Important Petőfimemorial places can be found in Erdőd (Ardud), and the settlement became famous for its castle. The important touristic centre of the county is Nagykároly(Carei). Its castle is one of the most significant historic monuments of Partium. The Calvinist historic monument church in Ákos (Acâș) is one of Transylvania’s oldest church buildings (it has been the centre of the village’s religious life for eight centuries), and it is one of the most beautiful buildings among the few Transylvanian churches built in Romanesque style. Originally it was a Benedictine abbey. However, the most beautiful, most significant and most endangered (it is constantly endangered by landslide) medieval historic monument church is the Calvinist church of Hadad(Hodod) in Szatmár County.