A Herman Ottó Múzeum Évkönyve 20. (1981)

M. KOZÁK Éva: Régészeti kutatások a szalonnai református templomban

RÉGÉSZETI KUTATÁSOK A SZALONNAI REFORMÁTUS TEMPLOMBAN 35 ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH IN THE SZALONNA CALVINIST CHURCH Village Szalonna (o. Borsod) lies on the Bódva, at the southern extension of the Szárhegy, north of Szendrő. In technical literature it is known of its church, standing on a small hill in the centre of the village. Its most important part is the shrine, once a round church. The romanesque and gothic wall paintings, uncovered at the beginning of our century add to the significance of the church. Szalonna used to be the quarters of the Örsúr kin at the time of the Magyar Conquest. The village is first mentioned in documents in the 13th c. The name comes from ancient Slavic language. The document from 1249 tells that the members of the Örsúr kin sell Zsíros and Martonyi of the Szalonna estate to Tecus, bailiff in Sáros, and to his brothers. The Tecus family owned the Szalonna land even in the 14th c. The first data about the church have been preserved in the Papal tithe-list, where it is mentioned as a small church consecrated to St Margaret. Loránd Szalonnai and his younger brother, István made a contract with their nephew from Torna on the family estate before the chapter of Jászó in 1340. According to the contract the Torna branch has got the fortification of Torna with 17 villages, while the Szalonna branch owned Szalonna and 14 other villages. The most noteworthy member of the family at the end of the 14th c. was István Szalonnai, who, according to a document from 1399, ruled over 18 villages. The document mentions the masonry house of the family with a fencing wall, the church and a water mill in the village. After István Szalonnai's death (1402) the significance of the family decreased, the estates disintegrated. In 1554 the Turks arrived to the Sajó and Bódva valley. Antal Veranics, Bishop of Eger wrote in his letter in 1562, that Zangzacchus, bey of Fülek had burnt Szalonna. In 1582 the settlement paid 50 forints poll-tax to the Turks. The village is mentioned several times in the 16517th centuries as an accessory to the Szendrő fortification. The protestant ecclesy, according to historical data, was formed in Szalonna in 1589. The tax of the pries reached 25 forints. The historical significance of the village grew gradually smaller and smaller, its estates belonged to middle and small landowners, while the church remained in the hands of the calvinist ministry. The church was first depicted at the beginning of our century by Viktor Miskovszky and Gergely Pörge. The authentic research of the church began in 1972 with the investigation of the outer walls. The execution of the reconstructive works began in 1973 followed a year later by archaeological excavations. The round church, built of bricks diverges from the orientation of the nave of stones. The round church stands on stone basement, the brick walls