Bereczki Ibolya - Sári Zsolt: Ház és Ember, A Szabadtéri Néprajzi Múzeum évkönyve 28-29. (Szentendre, Szabadtéri Néprajzi Múzeum, 2017)

VASS ERIKA: Egy templom, két gyülekezet Fiatfalván

Erika Vass

ONE CHURCH, TWO CONGREGATIONS IN FILIA§

(FIATFALVA)

A replica of a Unitarian church is planned by Miklós BUZAS and myself to be included in the Transylvanian building complex of the Hungarian Open Air Museum. For this reason five Unitarian churches were surveyed in 2008 (Csekefalva - Cechesti, Nyárdáglfalva - Gale§ti, Fiatfalva - Filia§, Székelyszentmiklós - Nicoleni, Újszékely - Secuieni).

16th century Transylvania is often referred to as the land of religious diversity and tolerance, since freedom of religion was declared in Turda (Tbrda) in 1568. This date is considered to be the birth of the Unitarian religion.

In my paper I review the history of the Unitarian church being in common use by Protestants and Unitarians. The actual beginning of the common use is not known, the first specific data are from 1726. The church still standing today was built between 1893 and 1894. Three painted panels of the coffered ceiling originating from 1804 were explored and restored by Levente DOMONKOS. During restauration of the church between 1893 and 1894 the ceiling and the other parts of the interior had been painted plain grey in accordance with the spirit of the age.

The close coexistence of the two denominations was judged differently. There were some people who welcomed it and considered it to be worth following, while others though it meant the weakness of their denomination.

On one Sunday one of the two denominations can have theirs service first and on the next Sunday the other. At Christmas and Pentecost it is the Protestants that can have priority, and so can the Unitarians at Easter. Ringing the bell also assists the worshippers to get their bearings. In the case of death the bells of both denominations accompany the deceased on their last journey.

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