The Reformed Great Church (Nagytemplom)

The symbol of Debrecen is the Reformed Great Church. To use the words of Zsigmond Móricz: “…with its two massive horns like the bull of Hortobágy, it faces time…” Gábor Oláh compared it to a huge-sized resident of the town.

In the heart of the city in Kossuth Square stands Hungary's most characteristic classicist building, the Great Church, on the site of which, according to the famed botanist Sámuel Diószegi, a church stood even in the 12th century, but was burnt to the ground in a fire. Some people believe that during the Mongol Invasion a smaller church stood here but was destroyed, although no evidence has been found to back this up. The 1980-1981 excavations revealed the remains of a - probably Romanesque style - church under the sacristan chapel of the 14th-15th century St. Andrew's (András) Church.

St. Andrew's church burnt down in 1564 and was rebuilt only in 1626-1628 with financial help from Gábor Bethlen. After the Small Church had been built further down Piac Street, St. Andrew's Church was known as the 'Old' or 'Great Church'. Its bell originates from 1636. György Rákóczi I, Prince of Transylvania, had two 6 ton bells cast by Regner Johann, a master craftsman from Gyulafehérvár. The material of the bells was the metal of cannons that were seized from the Imperial Forces. Rákóczi gave one of the bells to Debrecen and the other to Kassa (Kosice). A separate steeple was built from red brick especially for the bell, called the Red Steeple. The church burnt down again in 1802, causing the Rákóczi-bell to come crashing down. Unskilled hands started to pour water over it, and so the bell cracked and lost its voice. It was re-cast again in 1875 and this is when the coat of arms of the Rákóczi family, which is now preserved in the College Oratory, was cut out of the bell. The Rákóczi bell was placed in the west steeple of the new Great Church.

Mihály Pécsi, a major in the Engineers and former student of the College, designed a domed church, and at the request of the College he revised his plans several times. The town could not afford the implementation of such a large-scale plan. Instead they turned to the plans of the architect József Thaler, which used the foundations of the old church. Between 1805 and 1809 the walls were constructed, and the first service was held here as early as 1819.
The east-west side-aisles are 55 metres long and 15 metre wide. The interior was designed by the College drawing teacher Sámuel Kiss, the Lord's Table by local Debrecen carpenter József Dohányosi, and Kossuth's armchair was donated to the church by József Derecskei and his wife. Local craftsmen made the benches, which seated 3,000 people. During World War II the building was hit by an incendiary bomb, and as a result the centre part of the church and the roof of the western steeple burnt down.

Forrás: www.debrecen.hu