The small, dilapidated church built on the foundations of the medieval church was closed by the Bishop of Vác in 1842. In the spring of 1844, the church was demolished, with the exception of the three-storey Baroque tower, which still stands today. The rebuilt church acquired its current Classicist form in 1847, when it was consecrated in honour of St Anne. The tower was given an additional storey and a late Baroque onion-domed spire.
The two Baroque-style statues (St Joseph and St Peter) situated in a wall niche on the entrance side may date from an earlier construction period. In the sanctuary of the church stands the high altar dedicated to Saint Anne. The altarpiece depicts Saint Anne teaching the young Mary the Ten Commandments, with the figure of Joachim in the background. On the pediment of the altar, Saint Stephen offers the crown to Mary. The vault of the sanctuary is adorned with an Art Nouveau-style mural depicting the Annunciation, the work of Béla Endre. On the arch of the triumphal arch separating the nave from the sanctuary, a secco (mural) by Béla Terney can be seen, depicting the Adoration of the Hungarian Saints. On either side of the triumphal arch stands a side altar; the one on the left depicts the Holy Trinity, whilst the one on the right depicts the betrothal of the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph. The murals on the ceiling of the nave, divided by arches, were painted by Gyula Rudnay in 1910. He placed the scenes of the Magi from the East, the Twelve-Year-Old Jesus in the Temple, Jesus among the Children, Jesus on the Cross, and the Resurrection of Jesus within oval panels. A notable work in the church is the Altar of Our Lady of Sorrows by , situated to the left of the entrance, beneath the gallery. This Classicist work, created for Good Friday devotions, depicts the Pietà and the Entombment alongside Our Lady of Sorrows.
On the altar table (mensa) stands a painted wooden statue of Christ tied to a column. The front panel of the lower section of the altar is removable; this is the Holy Sepulchre, featuring a near-life-size statue of the dead Christ. Both statues are anatomically excellent works of art with a powerful evocative force. The church’s altars and pulpit bear the stylistic features of the Neo-Baroque period of the 1890s, crafted with gilded ornamentation on a white background. The carved oak pews were made by János Antal, a master carpenter from Szentes.
The organ was built in 1889 by József Angster, a master organ builder from Pécs. The church is connected to the new parish house, built in 1937, by a row of arched arcades and a cloister. In the square in front of the building stands the Neo-Renaissance Holy Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) column, erected in 1886, featuring statues of the four evangelists: John, Luke, Matthew and Mark.
St Anne’s Roman Catholic Church and its surroundings form a defining architectural ensemble in the town. The town’s church, dedicated to Saint Andrew the Apostle, was first mentioned in 1332. From the 16th century onwards, the building continued to be used by the people of Szentes who had converted to the Reformed faith, and they endeavoured to maintain it. In 1697, it was set alight by a passing Turkish auxiliary force, but later repaired by 1701.
In 1745, relying on a decree issued by Maria Theresa, the presbytery sought permission for a major extension of the church; however, during the proceedings it turned out that the building’s original purpose had been to serve as a Catholic church, and so in 1746 it was returned to its former owner. After a one-year grace period, during which the Reformed congregation were able to build a new church of suitable size, the building and its appurtenances (parsonage, school) were transferred to the Catholic Church in 1747, though the Reformed minister and teacher were still permitted to reside in the buildings thereafter. (The floor plan preserved as part of the documentation shows a building with a semicircular sanctuary, suggesting Romanesque construction.) As the name of the original patron saint had been forgotten, the church was consecrated in honour of Saints Anne and Joachim, whose feast day falls on the day of its re-consecration.
The church underwent two major renovations between 1748 and 1750, and in 1767 it was extended to incorporate the previously separate, medieval tower (which was significantly raised for reasons of proportion). The church, built in numerous construction phases, was later neglected by the estate, and was subsequently damaged by the 1834 earthquake. The Bishop of Vác closed the church, which was in a poor state of repair, in 1842, and it was demolished in 1844. The tower, however, remained; it was raised once more, and the present church was built to match it, consecrated in 1847 by the parish priest Mátyás Leeb. Its first organ was made in Buda in 1750; it was a six-stop tremolo instrument. It was repaired around 1830 and remained in use until the end of the century; its subsequent fate is unknown. In 1889, a new organ was commissioned from the Pécs-based organ builder József Angster. The church’s altars and pulpit bear the stylistic features of the Neo-Baroque period of the 1890s. The high altar was created in honour of the church’s patron saint, Saint Anne. The pediment depicts the composition ‘Saint Stephen Offering the Crown to Mary’. Among the church’s furnishings, one of the oldest is the Baroque priest’s chair dating from the 1760s and the Holy Sepulchre altar used during Holy Week. The oak pews were made by János Antal, a master carpenter from Szentes, between 1846 and 1850. The ceiling paintings were executed in 1910 by Béla Endre and Gyula Rudnay. A Neo-Renaissance Holy Trinity column was erected in the square in front of the church in 1886. Statues of the four evangelists were placed at the base of the column. There has been a clock in the tower since 1767. Of the original mechanism, only the gear train and the drive between the hands remain; the clock in operation today was built in 1870 by a clockmaker from Szentes named Bogyó, according to the markings on it.
