Lakner Lajos (szerk.): A Debreceni Déri Múzeum Évkönyve 2016 (Debrecen, 2016)
Régészet - D. Szabó László: Templomok a Nagytemplom alatt
TEMPLOMOK A NAGYTEMPLOM ALATT 31 László D. Szabó Old Church Buildings Linder the Great Church In September 2010 archeological excavations were started behind the Great Church in the section of the former St. Andrew's Church referred to as the oratory, a room for prayer. In the area of barely 20 m2 we uncovered the remains of several church buildings and discovered eight children's tombs as well. The first of these churches was built around 1200. Based on the uncovered clay foundation, it could have been a small brick church with a semicircular sanctuary. The second St. Andrew's Church was built around 1300 and it served as the model for the Reformed church building in Csenger. The nave of this large church may have been 51x20 meters in size. Its unique, octagonal steeple was around 55 meters high. Around 1400 the nave of the third church was built next to this steeple. In 1500 the sacristy built onto the northern side was turned into a family chapel. The excavation took place in this room and this is where we found the remains of the children. The eight children between 4 and 14 years of age could have been the relatives of landowners in Debrecen or members of wealthy families of the city. The third church sustained significant damage from a fire in 1564 and thus became unsuitable for further use. The then already Calvinist town could restore only the former sacristy, the family chapel referred to as the oratory. With the help of Gábor Bethlen, the Prince of Transylvania, the church building already referred to as the Andrew Church was rebuilt by 1628. This time a large, separate bell tower and an external wall were also built. In 1802 another fire damaged the church so badly that it had to be demolished and today's Great Church was built on its foundations. 28. kép Templomok a Nagytemplom alatt
