Ghenci - The Calvinist Church

The settlement is in the middle of a plain, therefore, the tower of the church is visible from great distance. The community accepted the Calvinist religion rather early, the priest of the village was registered as participant at the synod of Ardud (1545). The year of building the first church is unknown. The old edifice was demolished in 1869, and the construction of the new church was was started on 15th October of the same year. For various reasons (financial, the death of the architect Gaál József from Debrecen) the building was finished only in 1885. The furniture and the organ were made in the same year. The project of the tower was made by the architect Tóth Mihály jr., from Carei, in 1899. The clock of the tower was made by Müller János, in Budapest, in 1910. Despite the long construction period, the church succeeds in maintaining its unitary aspect, and it is marked by the Romantic style. The main façade is dominated by the octagonal tower, which has on the upper part three windows and three double niches, and a clock is situated above the windows. The tower is decorated with cornices all around, and the crown is covered with tin plates. The aspect of the nave is special due to the two jutties decorated with tympanums and circular windows that create the impression of a secondary nave. From the inside, the jutties are visible only like a niche. The eastern façade was made in a similar way. On the outside, the walls are decorated with pillars and arches. Beside the round windows, the nave is lighted by four triple windows. In front of each of the three doors, a porch was built. The ceiling of the nave is flat, and the two choirs are held by iron pillars, the organ being put on the eastern one. The furniture harmonizes with the general style of the church. One of the three bells was made in 1926, while the other two in 1958. (TSz).