The history of our temple

The history of our temple

The protestant temple was built in 1786 in the classicist style. This was the second protestant church, the first being built in 1783. The tower was added in the nineteenth century. The roof is flat and is decorated with stucco. The temple was renovated in 1986. Its devotional objects are precious, the tin cups and dishes. The school is about the same age with the church. Hodos has a great tradition of the Reformation. In the nineteenth century the Calvinists of Dunaszerdahely attended the church of Hodos; for a long time this was the only place where they could practise their religion.

In the first decades of the Reformation the new religion was already well-known in this region thanks to the likes of Gál Huszár and Alber Szenci Molnár. In the early 1600s the Protestants were already in large numbers. From historical sources we learn that the inhabitants of 16 villages, including those of Hodos, were attending the temple of Dunaszerdahely.

During the Counter-Reformation the temple of Dunaszerdahely was taken and the protestant preacher was chased away. The pastor then resided in Hodos. The village in 1683 became the Mother-Church. In the year 1689 the so-called Protectional letter banned members of the army to harass the Protestants. By then the residents of Dunaszerdahely were attending Hodos. In 1732 the County banned the preach and chased away the pastor once again. After 51 years in 1783 there could be again open exercise of the protestant religion.

The first temple was built, too. The first temple of Hodos was made of wood. The original temple was built in 1786. At the time the temples were without towers. The tower was built between 16 May 1796 and the July of 1797. The west wing was built in 1797, the east wing in 1809. The red marble altar was made in 1845. In 1842 to the tower was added a sheet-iron roof and to the temple a wood tile roof. In 1871 Mór Goldberg has had the roofs remade. On 11 September 1879 in the afternoon between 4 and 5 o'clock one of the neighbours' house took fire, it reached the roofs of the temple and the tower and burned down the temple. The temple and the roof of the tower were rebuilt by János Friedrich, the pulpit and 37 benches were made by Flórián Ring. The two new bells were unveiled on 12 February 1880. The temple was ordained on 5 August 1880 with the speech of loval preacher, Antal Somogyi. In the history of the Church the building of the temple is a great landmark. The temple was built in the classicist style. The tower orb's material is zinc. On its top is a star that originally had a golden colour. The temple has two entrances. One on the west side, that was the original entrance. Before the entrance on the east there is a small niche. This was the so-called poor-people's-house, because poor people could attend the religious service only there. The preacher also used this entrance. Today only the entrance on the south is used. There can be found a tablet made of stone with the date of building on it: 13 August 1786. The interior of the temple is simply painted. On the west side is the organ. From there the stairs lead into the tower to the bells. The ceiling is flat and is decorated with stucco. On the north side is the dark brown pulpit and the chair of Moses. Before the pulpit is the altar and the baptizing basin, both are made of red marble. The material of the benches is pine and they are light-coloured. On the right side of the entrance we can see a commemorative tablet for the victims of World War I.1984-1986 the temple was renovated.,,I sanctified this house that you`ve built, placing my name in it forever, and there will be my eyes and my heart always.`` Since the year 1783 Julianna Kis-Csájiné Tóth is the tenth chosen preacher of the 800-strong Protestant fold.