The Reformed Church of Hodod

If you could visit Atlantis before it disappeared, wouldn't you? On a different scale, but something equally serious and irremediable is happening in Hodod, with the Reformed Church: it will collapse.

Very old, the Roman Catholic parish here is mentioned in documents as early as 1333 and 1335. The church was built in honor of Saint King Ladislaus, in Gothic style.

From the entrance, a deep crack runs through the wall above the door. Inside, coolness and silence hide unsuspected treasures. Perhaps the most significant piece is the pulpit, with its staircase with stone balustrades, reminiscent of the shape of medieval baptismal font. The panels are decorated with stylized late Renaissance rosettes and escutcheons, as well as the Wesselényi family coats of arms.

We learn that the locality switched to the reformed faith relatively early, its first known preacher being from the year 1557. He had studied at Wittenberg. The links of this domain with the great aristocracy and medieval culture of Europe helped it to be not only a bastion of defense, but also a center of advanced civilization. Visit the Wesselényi and Degenfeld castles in the village and you will be convinced.

Unfortunately, the story of the reformed church is coming to an end. Specialists warn that threatening phenomena, movements of the land under the church that appeared even after the consolidation, make an effective intervention to stop the degradation practically impossible. As a result, they say, there is no chance of saving and using the church in the future. That's why I invite you to see it now.

In these places, archaeologists and historians periodically bring to light special vestiges. One of the most interesting such discoveries took place in 1995, when a crypt was discovered under the church.

In the crypt was a coffin on which the name Túri Sára was inscribed, along with the year 1733. The funeral costume found consisted of a silk skirt, a silk blouse and a green bodice. It has been restored and can be admired at the County Museum of Satu Mare, where it is exhibited.

The town of Hodod has a rich history, being considered the center of the area until the 20th century. So, after visiting the reformed church, we invite you to discover a part of this history and visit Wesselényi Castle, built in the 5th century. The building was destroyed during the Rákoczi War of Independence, and a new baroque castle was built on its ruins in 1761.

Also, another important castle located in these lands is the Degenfeld Castle, built between 1790-1810.