PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Beneficiary:
Reformed Congregation of Pécs-Downtown

Senior officer:
Peterdi Dániel, Dean

Accountable project costs:
23 040 187 Ft

Reformed Congregation of Pécs-Downtown

After the Turkish occupation believers joined the evangelistic and in the 1550s’ the Helvetic church. Relation of the Turkish with the Protestants and Catholics is still a subject to debate. Some historians think that the Turkish gave all support to the protestant to propagate their religion, while Catholics supporting the Habsburgs were persecuted. Other opinions claim, that the main idea of Turkish policy was „divide and rule”, which put them in a beneficial position, as they were in a great position to chaffer. The number of Calvinists increased constantly in the 17th century, as there were only 60 Calvinist families in the city in 1620.

Non-Catholics could only settle down in Pécs with the permission of the governor-general, according the Patent of Toleration issued by Joseph II. In 1806, Tamás Nendtvich, 24 year old Evangelist pharmacist from Késmárk (Szepes) got his permission to settle down, making him the only Evangelist citizen of the town after a long time. During the times of Dualism, the growth of the number of Protestants was in close correlation with the growth of population of the city.

Describing the composition of population and the number of Calvinists, Mihály Haas wrote the following in 1845: „As of their religion, there are 14 244 Catholics, 65 Augustines, 65 Helvetians, 55 not united Greek-orthodox and 187 Jews.” During the census of 1857, 124 Lutherans and 51 Calvinists were registered. First representatives of Calvinists returning to the city were visiting the Evangelist congregation at the beginning. „Members of the Reformed Congregation are gaining power under the wings of the Evangelists, since their return in the 19th century.” – by Zoltán Geyer. The baptism- and parish registers of the Evangelist Congregation certifies that reformed baptisms and nuptial ceremonies were held here. According to these registers, there were about 200 persons who avowed themselves as reformed believers between 1869 and 1892. Reformed believers spoke Hungarian as their native language.

The first stage of reformed believers forming a congregation (according to available sources) was in 1876. Representatives of Calvinists were: Ákos Földváry, József Körtvélyesi, Pongrácz Djenes, József Szecsődy, Mihály Rásky, Péter Begedi, Ferencz Máthis and Gyula Galamb. The administrational union would have ensured the following rights to Calvinists: rights related to congregational life (right to vote, to form decrees and to be eligible to consistories), religious education of normal-real- and secondary students, healthcare for convicts under the supervision of the Royal Prosecution, healthcare for patients in public hospitals, in the hospital of the Hospitaller’s Order and military hospitals, and spiritual leadership of reformed believers scattered around the country. In return, reformed believers were obligated to contribute to the expenses caused by the above rights. On the 21th May, 1876 Calvinists debated the offer, but refused to take it. Because of this refusal Evangelists initiated a new negotiation „As being solicitous to the religious and educational goals of our reformed brothers...” As reformed believers of Pécs and the Evangelist Congregation could not make a deal, the General Assembly of the Reformed Diocese of Felsőbaranya proposed the unification of sparsely located believers into a church, which did happen in 1878.

The next step of the reformed congregation becoming independent was becoming a missionary church. Sándor Cseresznyés, President of the Royal Table, as secular guardian of the congregation, asked Károly Szász, Bishop of the Reformed Church of Dunamellék, for financial help, which was granted by the Diocese in 1891. By this missionary subsidy the congregation was able to hire a deputy minister and to rent a chapel and a ministry home. On the 1st of January, 1892 the congregation of Pécs became a missionary congregation. After the 1898 resignation of Gyula Váry, the new main guardian became Royal Magistrate István Varga Nagy. Besides his church-building ambitions, he also called for the reorganization of the Reformed Church of Pécs into a Mother Church, and the election of an ordinary pastor. 1850-1910 was the era of settlement, taking roots. This was the time when they formed a fully independent congregation. With the settlement of Diocese borders the present Reformed Diocese of Baranya was formed, in 1952.

In 1900 the city of Pécs donated a plot with the size of 650 square feet to the church to be able to build a church in Indóház street (presently Szabadság street). In 1902, at the request of the Reformed Congregation of Felsőbaranya the Reformed Diocese of Dunamellék nominated the congregation of Pécs to a Mother Church. As the Minister of Religion and Public Education he recognized Pécs as a congruent church, the congregation was able to hire a pastor with the use of subventions. In 1903 the congregation elected Pál Nyári as the independent pastor of the Reformed Church of Pécs.

Pál Nyáry was inaugurated as ordinary pastor of the Reformed Congregation of Pécs on the 1st February, 1903, by Gábor Dányi, Dean of the Reformed Diocese of Felsőbaranya. His main objective was to guarantee a proper place for the growing congregation. After a long term preparatory work, the building of the church, planned by Emil Károlyi, started in 1906. The foundation-stone was placed on the 4th November, 1906, and the church was finished by 28th July, 1907. The furniture of the church was manufactured by Ferenc Keil, a master carpenter from Pécs, so the pulpit is an oak replica of the pulpit found in the church of Kálvin square, Budapest. Decoration of the furniture represents the Holy Trinity. The organ was made by József Angster and his son, while the bells were made by Antal Novotny, bell founder from Temesvár. The meetinghouse was built later in 1927. Its furniture is the result of the great work of two artists of Pécs, Győző Szatyor and Emil Vata. The church has a three-axis frontispiece and two turrets connected to the conical main tower in the middle. The white walls are ornamented by brick coverage around windows and meeting lines. Its style combines the elements of Gothic and Roman style, in perception of the eclectic style of the century.

The objective of the development fully supported by the Local Government of Pécs City with County Rights is to transform the congregation room (Sztáray-hall) of the Reformed Congregation of Pécs-Downtown (Szabadság street 33-35) to be fit to give place for the exhibition of the history of the reformed church. The planned exhibition placed in the hall is to represent the history of reformation in Baranya, by displaying records (bibles, prayer books) and by interactive means (tablet, pageants, projector). As part of the development program Sztáray-hall is going to be cleared of obstacles, and is going to be easier to access.