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Reformed Great Church of Debrecen

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The Reformed Great Church of Debrecen is the most characteristic building in Debrecen, with a floor area of 1,500 m². It is the largest Reformed church in the country. It was here that Lajos Kossuth read out the Declaration of Independence on April 14, 1849. The main structure was rebuilt several times. Today’s familiar Classicist form was developed after the great fire of 1802. The Reformed Great Church is a major tourist attraction in Debrecen, welcoming visitors all year round. On the ground floor of the church, there is a Kossuth Memorial Exhibition, and Church History Exhibition, one of the most important items of  the exhibition is the original copy of the Vizsoly Bible. The Bible Mock-up and Painting Exhibition is a permanent exhibition that includes 25 large-scale mock-ups by Pastor Lajos Csia and 52 paintings by painter Kálmán Tichy. In the east tower, an accessible lift takes visitors up to the sixth floor, the attic. After the old clock mechanism and the church cloak, originally designed by Mihály Péchy, visitors  can walk up to the dome of the west tower to the Rákóczi bell and enjoy the panoramic view from the walkway between the two towers. In addition to regular services, exhibits of religious history, organ concerts, and other musical events are also on the schedule. The church was declared a National Monument in 2013.

4026 Debrecen, Piac street 4-6.

+36 52 614 160

University Church

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Construction began in 1939, the year the World War broke out. The church, designed by József Borsos, was finally consecrated in 1942. It is one of the most modern church buildings in the country. The congregation of about 200 young people currently operates in three locations. The building is owned by the Tiszántúli Reformed Church District, and the university mission is also supported by the diocese and a grant from the Reformed Church in the USA.

4032 Debrecen Egyetem square 2.

Szabadságtelep Reformed Church

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Consecrated in 1935, this is one of the churches that were built in the suburbs of Debrecen in the first half of the 20th century. Many of the surrounding streets were named after important figures of the European and Hungarian Reformation.

4034 Debrecen, Komáromi Csipkés György square 5.,

+36 52 787 134

Lutheran Church

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At first, it was the Lutheran branch of the Reformation that appeared in Debrecen, too. Later on, however, the principles of the Helvetian movement became more widespread. The independent Lutheran parish came into existence only at the turn of the 18th century; its church was built in 1889. The building was completely renovated in 2015.

4025 Debrecen, Miklós street 3.

+36 52 534 408

Kápolnási Synagogue

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As the number of Jews in Debrecen reached its peak during the first decade of the 20th century, the community found itself in need of a new synagogue. Built between 1909 and 1910, the “small” church, which is able to accommodate 600 people, continues to fill its traditional role: it serves the people as a sacred space. Today, the recently renovated synagogue is used for religious purposes on the big Jewish holidays, but it has hosted cultural happenings of different kinds on several occasions.

4025 Debrecen, Kápolnási street 1.

+36 52 415 861

The Pásti Orthodox Synagogue

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The synagogue’s construction started in August 1893. In a month, its main walls were standing, and the developing Orthodox community celebrated its very first new year in the new synagogue. The final touches were finished in a year’s time, but officially the church was inaugurated in 1902. The first rabbi of the orthodox Kehila was Solomon Strasszer. There were several establishments in a joint operation with the status quo community, but soon the Orthodox Jews expanded their web of institutions: Beit Hamidras for Torah-learning sessions, a mikvah, and a kosher butchery and shop had opened. The building was heavily damaged during WWII, and the community was not able to rebuild the synagogue fully, but they managed to preserve it.

Nevertheless, it functioned until 1984, when the last Orthodox Rabbi, Sándor Deutsch, passed away. In 2001, the roof and the street front were reconstructed, but its thorough, complete restoration started only in 2012. On 26 April 2015, the Pásti Orthodox synagogue was re-opened in its full glory, and it serves multiple purposes: it is not only a sacred space but a tourist attraction, conference center, and public venue.

4025 Debrecen, Pásti street 4.

+36 52 415 861

Beit Hamidras – the Winter Tabernacle

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Built in the 1910s, the centrally heated tabernacle hosted the regular Talmud-Torah alongside occasional meetings, bar mitzvahs, and lectures. It gave new impetus to the religious and everyday
life of the Orthodox community since those who were busy working during the day all week could now come and participate in lectures after working hours and during the weekends. Today, the Beit Hamidras is the site of the community’s daily sermons, except during the big holidays.

Greek Orthodox Church

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The Neo-Byzantine church was built in 1910 based on the plans of János Bobula. Unlike other Greek Orthodox churches, there is no iconostasis here. The inlaid altar and pulpit with mosaic ornaments were also prepared in 1910. Valuable seccos and colorful glass windows ornate the church. The church was painted between 1950-’58. It took on its present form when the iconostasis separating the sanctuary and the nave was completed and consecrated in 2010, on the 100th anniversary of the church. The most significant event in the recent years of the Hungarian Greek Catholic Church and the parish of Debrecen was on 20 March 2015, when Pope Francis founded the autonomous metropolis of Debrecen.

4029 Debrecen Attila square 5.

+36 52 533 207

Small Reformed Church

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The Baroque building of the second Calvinist church in Debrecen was built in 1731. On 11 January 1860, it served as the venue of the church district’s general meeting, which rejected the Imperial Protestant Patent aimed at restricting Protestant autonomy. The Small Church of Debrecen has witnessed and participated in the events, joys, and sorrows of the city’s history, full of adversity and glory, for more than three and a half hundred years. Twice during this long period, the church itself has been the victim of fire, the most formidable enemy of old Debrecen, which often returned.

4025 Debrecen, Révész square 2.

+36 52 342 872

St. Anne’s Cathedral

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The St. Anne’s Cathedral in Debrecen is the seat church of the Debrecen-Nyíregyháza diocese. The cathedral was only a parish church until 1993, the year Pope John Paul II elevated it to cathedral status with the establishment of the Diocese of Debrecen-Nyíregyháza. The Baroque church was completed by 1746 and rebuilt in the tile style by 1834.

The church was consecrated in honour of St. Anne, the mother of the Virgin Mary, in 1746.In the mural next to the gates, on the right Prince St Imre, on the left St Stephen in richly pleated clothes, with a dynamic posture. The central niche statue depicts the Virgin Mary with the Child Jesus. The sculptor is unknown, probably a Baroque master. Above the main entrance is the coat of arms of the founder, Imre Csáky.

4024 Debrecen, Szent Anna street 21.

+36 52 536 652