Unitarian Church – Énlaka

Unitarian Church – Énlaka

The Unitarian church of Énlaka is one of the most beautifully situated monuments of Udvarhelyszék: it stands on a hilltop above the village, surrounded by a stone wall. Its most famous treasure is the coffered ceiling painted in 1668, which also bears an inscription in Old Hungarian runic script.

Most of the present building dates from the 15th century; it acquired its Gothic form in the second half of that century. Its polygonal sanctuary preserves a medieval door frame, a sacrament niche and a window with stone tracery. A special feature is the fragment of an inscribed Roman votive altar built into the base of the triumphal arch.

The ceiling of 88 panels was made in 1668 by master carpenter András Szász and painter György Musnai Dakó. The panels evoke a flower garden of tulips, carnations and pomegranates, and ten of them bear inscriptions in Latin, in Gothic letters and in runic script. The most famous is the inscription “God is One” written in Székely runic script, discovered by Balázs Orbán in 1864. Of Musnai's four known ceilings, only the one in Énlaka has survived.

The stone wall around the church was built in 1743 and the 31-metre tower between 1830 and 1833. The pulpit canopy dates from 1758, the communion table from 1759 and the organ from 1848.

Visiting: the church can be visited by prior arrangement; the Unitarian parish office in Énlaka can tell you where to get the key. More on painted ceilings: Faith Set in Stone.

Photo: Țetcu Mircea Rareș / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo: Țetcu Mircea Rareș / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0