Reformed Church – Mugeni (Bögöz)
The Reformed church of Mugeni (Bögöz), in the valley of the Târnava Mare (Nagy-Küküllő), is one of the finest medieval monuments of the historic Udvarhelyszék region. On the north wall of its nave, 14th-century murals survive in three bands, including scenes from the legend of St Ladislaus.
The village is first mentioned in 1333, under the name Bugus. The nave and the lower part of the tower are Romanesque; the foundations of a semicircular apse uncovered inside the late Gothic sanctuary indicate that the first church was built in the 13th century. At the end of the 15th century the nave was covered with a net vault, of which only the corbels on the walls survive today. János of Bögöz, later captain of Udvarhelyszék, probably played an important part in the late Gothic rebuilding.
The vault was later destroyed and replaced in 1724 by a painted coffered wooden ceiling, while the stone vault of the sanctuary and its carved corbels can still be seen in their original form. The tower was heightened in 1842. For centuries the medieval murals lay hidden beneath layers of whitewash.
The murals were discovered by József Huszka in the summer of 1898. The upper band shows fragments of the St Ladislaus legend: the battle against the Cumans, the pursuit of the Cuman who abducted a girl, the wrestling match and the beheading of the Cuman. Below it come eleven scenes of the martyrdom of St Margaret of Antioch, and the lowest band holds a large Last Judgement, with Christ enthroned in a mandorla and the interceding Virgin Mary and St John. The Ladislaus and Margaret cycles date from the first decades of the 14th century, the Last Judgement from the second half of the century; in 1930 a short inscription in Old Hungarian runic script (rovás) was also found in this scene.
After their discovery the murals were covered up again, then uncovered once more in the 1930s and in 1966–1967. Their full restoration by the restorer Loránd Kiss was completed in 2012, and the results were presented to the public on 24 November 2012.
Visiting: Mugeni lies about 11 kilometres from Odorheiu Secuiesc (Székelyudvarhely), in the valley of the Târnava Mare; the walled church is the village's main sight. It is an active Reformed church, so it is advisable to arrange a visit to the interior in advance with the local Reformed congregation.
Sources: Wikipedia · Wikipedia – Bögöz (Mugeni) · Zsombor Jékely: Medieval frescoes at Bögöz restored
Photo: Țetcu Mircea Rareș / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo: Szabi237 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Town:
Mugeni (Bögöz)
