The St Nicholas Hungarian Orthodox Church is the oldest listed building in Szentes. In the first half of the 18th century, due to the war, many Greek merchant families fled to Hungary, and several of them settled in Szentes. Initially, they practised their Orthodox faith, which they had brought from their homeland, in secret, in private homes. In 1773, there were only 16 of them in Szentes, but ten years later their number had risen to 114. II. The Edict of Tolerance issued by Joseph II in 1781 guaranteed freedom of worship to the Greek Orthodox as well, permitting the construction of churches and the employment of priests provided the necessary financial conditions were met.
The more affluent Greek families of Szentes – the Haris, Hadzsy, Gibba, Kálló, Gyuricza and Papp – seized the opportunity and established their own parish in 1784, consecrating their small, towerless, late Baroque-style church, built within the courtyard in 1786. The church, consecrated in honour of St Nicholas, was supplemented in the early 1900s with a timber-framed bell tower rising from the roof. The 22-metre stone tower visible today was added to the church in 1927, based on the plans of János Piti, a master mason and carpenter from Szentes.
The church has a rectangular floor plan, with a basilica-style layout, an apse-ended design and a single-nave structure. In accordance with ecclesiastical regulations, the interior is divided into three sections: the narthex, the nave and the altar. In the narthex stands a finely crafted marble baptismal font. In the part of the nave in front of the altar, one can see the so-called solea (raised platform), with the choir’s music stands to the right and left, and the icon stands in front of it. The bishop’s throne is situated on the south side. The iconostasis separating the altar from the nave is a seven-axis, three-tiered, timber-framed structure in the Copf style. Thirty-nine panels have been placed on the iconostasis. The 39 images on the sanctuary screen, adorned with stylised, gilded leaf motifs and rosettes, are arranged in three zones: at the bottom, throne icons; above them, figures in prayer surrounding Christ and intercessors; and at the very top, the Golgotha cross composition with the prophets. The compositions were painted in oil on wood. The inscriptions are in Greek. The Annunciation is depicted on the royal door, whilst the doors of the deacons’ chamber feature images of the Archangel Michael and Saint Stephen the Deacon. The throne icons depicting the Mother of God Enthroned with the Child and Christ the Teacher are outstanding examples of Orthodox heritage in Hungary. In the niche of the church’s south façade is a fresco depicting Saint Nicholas, the work of László Kéri. Beneath it, the names of the church’s founders are inscribed on a marble plaque set into the wall. The Baroque marble cross placed beside the plaque enhances the artistic value of this listed church.
