Reformed Great Church of Debrecen – place of ecclesiastical and historical heritage

Its predecessor, a single-nave church, is presumed to have been built at the end of the 13th or the beginning of the 14th century by the landowners of the town. Later it was extended into a three-nave Gothic church. The trials of the centuries left their mark on the church, which eventually burnt down in 1802, in the Great Fire of Debrecen. This resulted in a new church being built for the town’s Reformed Christians. The Great Church was built in Neo-Classicist style and can house up to two thousand people. In 1991, it was visited by Pope John Paul II, who placed a wreath on the monument of the galley slaves in the Memorial Garden. Today, in addition to its role in religious life, it regularly serves as a venue for sung services, organ recitals and classical concerts.

The building was renovated at the beginning of the 2010s, when a panoramic bridge was built between the two towers, offering a spectacular view of the town and the main square. You can access the building through the entrance under the left tower. Your visit to the church will be memorable for two reasons: the huge interior and the puritanical appearance of the church with its unadorned, whitewashed walls that immediately catch the eye. The smooth wall surfaces accentuate the richly decorated, gold plated, empire-style pulpit and the inlaid communion table in front of it.

The church is home to the Lajos Kossuth Memorial Exhibition and the Congregation History Exhibition, where the original copy of the first printed Bible in Hungarian is on display. There is also a lift to take you to the top of the tower, where you arrive in the mysterious dark attic of the Great Church.