Page 15 - szabolcs2023

Szatmár

We continue to roam in the eastern third of the county, which
is a place between the lowlands (Great Plain) and the moun-
tains (Transylvania and the foothills of the Carpathians). Nu-
merous medieval churches, natural rarities, or industrial mo-
numents wait to be explored across the regions of Szatmár-Ti-
szahát, Rétoldal, the Szatmári plain, and Szamoshát.

One of the greatest treasures and attractions of the region is
the large number of medieval churches of various sizes and

with differing decorations. Tiny jewels are hidden here, as the
constant internal waters and floods created a swamp in the em-
brace of the rivers that provided refuge for the locals from the
invading armies for centuries. This made the built heritage of

the area unique because the buildings managed to survive the
bloodthirsty times in isolation.
One of such rarely mentioned buildings is the Reformed
church of Gacsály, which has recently been restored. Curi-
ous and competent visitors may notice that the church’s
construction can be divided into several distinct periods. Th e
beauty of its former painted coffered ceiling surpassed those

in the churches in Csenger, Csengersima, or Gyügye, and yet,
paradoxically, only 46 of the original 172 painted coff ers can
be seen here today.

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