Reformed Church – Acâș (Ákos)
The Reformed Church in Acâș (Ákos) is the three-aisled, twin-towered Romanesque basilica of the 12th-century monastery of the Ákos kindred. With its unplastered red-brick walls, it ranks among the most valuable architectural monuments of Satu Mare County and is regarded as one of the finest Romanesque monuments in Romania.
The church originally belonged to the Ákos kindred's monastery dedicated to the Virgin Mary. On archaeological and art-historical grounds it is dated to the second half of the 12th century; the village named after the monastery is first mentioned in 1342, as Akusmonustura. As the kindred gradually lost its wealth, patronage passed to other families – in 1421 it was held by the Csáki family – and from the second half of the 15th century the monastery no longer appears in the records; its church remained in use as a parish church.
The village became Reformed in 1597, and its first known minister, Mihály Harsányi, was sent by the synod of Tășnad. In 1642 the church burned down and was only re-roofed in 1732, when the towers received Baroque spires. The repairs after a lightning strike in 1747 were paid for by János Török and his wife Kata Papp, commemorated by a plaque in the churchyard. The earthquake of 1834 caused further serious damage; the restoration was led by Frigyes Schulek between 1896 and 1902, and the renewed church was consecrated by Bishop György Bartók on 9 August 1903.
The east-facing, three-aisled basilica has a semicircular apse at the end of the nave. Between the two towers of the west front, a gallery on the upper level opens onto the interior, and the façades are articulated by pilaster strips and small arched friezes of Lombard origin. In the spirit of Romanesque architecture, Schulek left the brick walls unplastered, and the towers were given pyramidal brick spires. The plain interior has 18th-century pews painted with floral motifs, and the two bells were cast in 1742 and 1924. The church has been a listed monument since 1953 and is included in the Transylvanian Heritage Register (Erdélyi Értéktár).
Visiting: Acâș lies in Satu Mare County on the right bank of the Crasna, about 31 km south-east of Carei and 36 km south of Satu Mare; until 1920 it belonged to Szilágy County. The village's thermal baths are among the most important in the county, so a visit to the church combines well with a day of relaxation.
Sources: Wikipedia · Wikipedia – Ákos · Zothmar – Acâș, churches · FRH Europe
Photo: SGECK / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo: SGECK / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Town:
Acâș (Ákos)
