Calvinist church in Túrricse

The medieval village was a two part settlement that probably existed in the 13th century. The only mention of the medieval church dates from 1500 and notes a building surrounded by a cemetery but without a tower. The Reformed church of Túrricse was built in the early 15th century, in Gothic style.

The first written mention of the church of the village dates back to 1500. According to this date, it is probable that the writing refers to the present church, which preserves its medieval form still today.  To the rectangular-based nave of the church, the sanctuary is attached, which is narrower in width by half of the existing wall thickness, and closes in three sides of an octagon. The sanctuary and the nave feature Gothic shingled roofs of equal ridge height. In the past, to the northern wall of the sanctuary, the vestry was attached. The medieval brick footings running around the perimeter of the building can still be observed today.

On the western facade of the nave, a beautiful stone-framed arched gate having the form of a donkey’s back can be observed. Its pair opened from the sanctuary to the vestry in the past. The varied and colorful texture of the stone immediately draws the visitor’s attention. On the western wall of the sanctuary, the shoulder piece of the wagon vault of the vestry, and also, the door leading into the previously mentioned sanctuary have been found. Its triumphal arch and Gothic vault were demolished in the 17th century, and a wooden ceiling, which is a typical characteristic feature of Reformed churches, was installed. In the 18th century, according to the sources, in 1746, and later, between 1790 and 1792, the church was significantly altered: the Gothic vault of the sanctuary was demolished, and the creation of the furnishings that can be seen today began. The end date of the construction work (1792) is indicated on a cassette featuring a floral motif in the middle of the painted cassette-style wooden ceiling.

The tulip “embroidery” around the entrance is worth adoring. A similar motif can be found in Sonkád, Csaroda and Ófehértó, and it can also be observed around the frames of the windows. Only two colors, red and black were used for the painting of the heart-shaped leaves of the tulips. In this period, it was natural that both the exteriors and the interiors of the churches were painted. In Túrricse, a unique painting technique was applied: the contours of the motifs were carved into the still wet and soft mortar, and they were lime washed and colored only following the drying of the mortar. 

Although the pictures of the saints had no place in Reformed churches, they did not resign the ornamentation of the congregation houses, as the most important places of community life. A beautiful example of this is the church of Túrricse, which differed, and differs today, from the houses of the common people in that each of its sections is color painted, and each item of its furnishings is finely carved. In conclusion, the Reformation did not exclude art from the churches. Rather, it let art unfold in a different way, the way of ornamentalism. The continuation of the old tradition prior to the Reformation is the painted ornamentation of the interior and exterior walls, which does not feature figures like the medieval frescos, but in its approach, it is not different from the medieval solutions. The motif of wandering plants and leaves around the bay windows indicates the influence of the “floral renaissance”, which was widespread all over Hungary. The most beautiful examples of this are the ornaments of red and gray leaves opening from the hearts, which can be observed in Csaroda, Ófehértó and Túrricse. These can not only be decorations, but also symbols conveying messages.

The creation of the furnishings of painted churches in the Upper Tisza region was rarely completed at the same time. If it was necessary, new liturgical items of furniture were created every year. The same happened in Túrricse. In 1792, the restoration of the church building was completed with the creation of the wooden ceiling, as the writing says on the coffin of the ceiling: “The Reformed Saint Ecclesia of Ritse for the glory of God built this house for the Lord at their own expense. 1792” The distinctive character of the ceiling comprising of rectangular boards is lent by the cassette partitioning system featuring plastic ornaments in its corner points.

The western gallery of the church was completed after 1792, and the “crown” of the pulpit was ordered six years later. According to its dimensions and structure, it is similar to the “Ódor-crowns”, which were already popular at that time, but it is clear that it was created of carved elements, not of sawn ones. That is the reason why we feel that the wandering vines, the leaves and the flowers are plastic. The Reformation opposed the excessive use of the liturgical elements of Catholicism, and instead, the service was placed in the center of congregational life with a focus on native language evangelization. Accordingly, the pulpits became the most relevant and the most ornamental furnishings of the churches. In general, a stairway covered with a breast-shield led to the basket, which was frequently built in one with the sedilia, as in Túrricse. Above the pulpit is the sound reflector, which has a relevant ornamental role in addition to its acoustic function. According to the local language use, it is called a “crown”, as these tall ornaments remind us of the spires of the churches.

The painting of the Chair of Moses created in 1882 imitates red marble, similarly to that of the eastern gallery, which was created at the same time. According to their painting, the pews of the church were also created in those days. The worn backrest of one of the pews indicates that it is an old structure, and was possibly created with the reuse of the ceiling boards of the former gallery.

Having knowledge of the bell towers in the Upper Tisza region, that of Túrricse seems quite unusual, as if the tall stone tower did not feature a wooden spire with a gallery but a smaller two-storey belfry. And indeed it does. In 1956, the congregation decided to reconstruct the 172-year old belfry, as “all of its joints cracked and was threatened with disintegration”. As the village became significantly bigger in size since the construction of the bell tower, and the voice of the bell did not reach the inhabitants living further away, a bigger tower was required. As a result, this seemingly unusual construction was created: the baroque belfry was reconstructed on the top of the brick tower. The reconstruction of the church and the restoration of the ceiling were completed in 2003 by the Tiszantúl Reformed Church District.