The inauguration ceremony of the restored monument will take place next spring.Continue reading
The renovated Árpád-era (13th century) church of St. Nicholas in Rábaszentmiklós (northwestern Hungary) was inaugurated over the weekend. In his speech at the blessing of the church, Alpár Gyopáros, Government Commissioner for the Development of Modern Settlements, emphasized that the soul of the Hungarian nation lives in the countryside, primarily in villages and small towns, because unfortunately, Christian values are almost exclusively found here.
Alpár Gyopáros explained that “faith in God, closeness to nature, respect for nature, solidarity, and community” are the values that have helped the Hungarian people for a thousand years. He added that even within villages, the churches are the most important source of the Hungarian soul in terms of built heritage, and therefore they must be looked after.
Photo: MTI/Krizsán Csaba
He said that
there are nearly 70 small villages in the region, forty of whose churches have been renovated in the last ten years with more than HUF 1 billion (EUR 2.5 million).
In addition, as part of the Hungarian Villages Program, parishes have been renovated in more than 60 settlements in the last five years, also with a budget of around HUF 1 billion. According to the government commissioner, “we are living in a time when our values, which are based on Christian roots, must be kept in mind every day, because unfortunately they are under attack in Hungary and in the world. “He added: “If we want to protect these values, we cannot be satisfied with these church and parish renovations, but we must continue to protect and care for our villages and their inhabitants and we must continue on this path steadfastly.”
Photo: MTI/Krizsán Csaba
Mayor Szabolcs Németh said that the renovation of the Árpád-era church was supported by a HUF 15 million (EUR 38,000) grant from the Hungarian Village Program, which was supplemented by HUF 1.5 million (EUR 3,800) from the Diocese of Győr.
The church tower was renovated and the shingles were painted. The work was carried out by specialists from the surrounding villages.
The mayor noted that the church is now a worthy stop on the Sacravelo cycling pilgrimage route network and he is taking the initiative to include it in the Győr-Moson-Sopron County heritage list.
Via MTI, Featured image: MTI/Krizsán Csaba