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A SHORT MONOGRAPH OF THE REFORMED CHURCH IN SIGHETU- MARMATIEI

Máramarosszigeti Református Templom

Sighetu –Marmatiei ( name of the town in Hungarian Maramarossziget) is located in Transylvania-Romania , 65 km N-E of Baia Mare (name in Hungarian Nagybanya, in German Neustadt) near the border with Ukraine , surrounded by the rivers Tisa and Iza.

It is mentioned for the first time in a document in 1326 , document by which the Bishop of Esztergom gives the priest of the church the right to collect tithe.

In a diploma dated 1349 we find already the name ‘’Zighet’’.

The king of Hungary –Nagy Lajos ( Louis the Great) ,confers Sighet the rank of free town of the kingdom.

The reformed church, in its actual form , was built in 1892 , but in its whole it includes the components of the century old church. The oldest component preserved to our days is the main tower stone block construction . The carved portal of the tower and the double window above it are preserved from the XIII th century to our days.

In 1844 it was damaged by the earthquake .

In 1859 , the church, partially restored, is destroyed by a fire.

In 1862 starts the rebuilding of the church , The construction in the making, again interrupted by a fire , the half finished church , already covered , is again a victim.

Finally, in 1892 , the church is finished in its actual form.

In 1931 the spire will be again destroyed by a fire. But due to the community , the restoration works are finished in 1933.

The last works ,between 1991-1993, consisted of exterior plastering, respectively in 1999 , this was followed by the painting of the interior of the church.

The population of the town accepted ,quite early,the reforming current. As early as 1540 we find a protestant school . The list of the service periods of the pastors is immortalized on a memorial plaque.

The first known pastor –Mezo-Gyani Balazs, served between 1568-1595.

The organ of the church was made by Otto Rieger in 1912.

The community made up of 900 people is called to service by the three church bells . The oldest Bell was casted in 1892, weighing 632 kg. It bears the inscription (in original) : ‘’Ontettetett az m. Szigeti egyhaz altal Szikszai Zoltan lelkeszege es Szollosi Antal fogondnoksaga idejeben. Ontotte Walzer ferenc Budapesten 1892. No 2029’’ In translation ‘’Casted at the order of the church in Sighet, in the period of pastor Zoltan Szikszai and the period of Antal Szollosy as main administrator. Casted by Ferenc Walzer in Budapest in 1892. No 2029’’. The bell requisitioned during the 1st World War , was replaced in 1927 by a casted bell weighing 294 kg, bearing the inscription (in original): Ontette Balazs Imre gondnok , felesege nehai Czegenyi Erzsebet emlekere 1927. Schib & Kauntz Nagyszeben ‘’ In translation ‘’Casted at the order of Imre Balazs , administrator, in memory of the deceased wife Czegenyi Erzsebet 1927. Schib & Kauntz Sibiu’’

In place of the bell damaged by the fire in 1931 , in 1932 was casted the bell weighing 1137kg , that bears the inscription :’’ A maramarosszigeti reformatus anyaszentegyhaz ontette Isten dicsosegere Papp Jozsef lelkipasztorkodasa alatt az Urnak MCMXXXII esztendejeben az MCMXXXI februar ho 14-en tuzvesz altal megrepedt harang helyett. Az eloket hivogatom , a holtakat elsiratom! Ontotte Honig Frygies Aradon.’’ In translation : ‘’At the order of the Reformed church was casted to the glory of God , in the period of pastor Jozsef Papp, in the year of God MCMXXXII , in the place of the cracked bell,after the fire on 14 February MCMXXXI .
I call the living ones and I mourn the dead ones! Casted at the order of Frygyes Honig in Arad.’’

We hope that by mercy of God this church will host for a long time our reformed Hungarian community.