The Route of Medieval Churches

The Route of Medieval Churches is the name of the thematic route designed with the intention of thoroughly familiarising interested tourists with a unique religious and cultural heritage in the Carpathian Basin. This thematic route was created with the purpose of presenting the medieval ecclesiastical heritage of three geographical units, which formed a historical region in the past: Northeast Hungary, Kárpátalja (Subcarpathia) and the northern area of the region called Partium. The route crosses Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county on Hungarian territory, Szatmár/Satu Mare county in Romania and Transcarpathia (Zakarpatska oblast') in Ukraine. A web of common historical roots ties together these three administrative units. The medieval churches in Kárpátalja (Subcarpathia) represent the eastern frontier of Western Christianity, this is the region where Gothic architecture meets the wooden churches characteristic to the Greek Orthodox denomination. The region itself had a tumultuous history and the past of its churches constitutes no exception with regard to this observation. Many of them had been destroyed during the Mongol Invasion of Europe, the remaining ones were seized one after another by the Calvinists as the Reformation gained ground, a large number burned down during the freedom fights of Early modern history and, in Soviet times, churches were often transformed into museums for atheists. We live now in peaceful times, in a calm period of history - hence, churches became tourists' attractions. Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county is one of the richest areas in Hungary in what concerns medieval churches. A unique network of medieval churches has been preserved here. The small churches, the wooden belfries standing
next to them, the medieval frescoes which still exist in so many places, the painted galleries, the richly decorated coffered ceilings and the carved pulpits evoke the unique atmosphere characteristic to the ecclesiastical heritage of the historical Szatmár and Bereg counties. Unfortunately, the major part of the medieval churches on the Great Hungarian Plain (Alföld) have been devastated by the Ottoman Turks. Nonetheless, the waterways and lakes surrounding this region kept conquering armies and foreign cultures away. In this manner, these tiny medieval churches, real jewels of this area, could have been preserved together with their unparalleled richness and beauty.

With Route of Medieval Churches interactive application the user can learn about attractions along the thematic route. Text descriptions and pictures are availabe about highlighted locations and in some cases also audivisual content is available for users. The application is free to download and available in Hungarian, Romanian and English languages.