Agria 42. (Az Egri Múzeum Évkönyve - Annales Musei Agriensis, 2006)

Zábrátzky Éva: Tarnaszentmária és Verpelét kőipara (XIX–XX. század)

Éva Zábrátzky The Stone Industry in Tarnaszentmária and Verperlét during the 19th and 20th Centuries Verpelét, positioned on the banks of the Tarna, and nearby Tarnaszentmária both contained a substantial number of quarries during the course of the 19th and 20th centuries. The local inhabitants counted the working of stone amongst their skills, and it was a craft they practised at the level of trained craftsmen. The presence of the railway meant they were able to transport the stone to building and road-laying projects on the Great Plain. Decorative elements carved out of the local stone, found in the pillars and the doorways for example, are a characteristic feature of the buildings in both villages. The less spectacular, everyday objects were also made out of stone, if the material was suitable for the purpose. In this particular region cellars tended to be built from stone specially cut to size, either half, or entirely, underground either beneath the house or in the yard. There were specialised masons for the task of building cellars, who also took on work in the surrounding villages. The local stone also determined the appearance of the cemeteries. Apart from those gravestones made for the Roman Catholic population, the substantial Jewish congregation also made the most of the skills of the local masons, who were able provide the symbolism required. Today the use of the local stone has fallen to a minimum: in Tarnaszentmária there is only one quarry, and that only works on a seasonal basis. The role of stone in the building trade has been taken over by factory-produced building materials, while the gravestones in the village cemeteries are now made either of artificial stone or granite. 208