Csenger grew to become one of the most significant towns in the historical Szatmár County during the Middle Ages. It is probable that the construction work of the church began after 1322, and was completed in the second quarter of the century. Csenger’s medieval church is the only architectural heritage of the Great Plain’s medieval monumental architecture.
A crescent-shaped triumphal arch divides the rectangular nave from the sanctuary which is formed by five sides of an octagon. The sanctuary has a wagon roof, and a fabulous painted cassette-style wooden ceiling covers the nave. A monumental hexagon-shaped six-storey tower is attached to the church, which has been preserved in its original state.
The painted cassette-style wooden ceiling of the nave, which was created in 1745, is as well-known in Europe as it is in Hungary. The floral motifs on it refer to the earliest periods of Hungarian history. The wooden ceiling consists of 9x14 complete cassettes and a half row of cassettes. The oldest relic of this kind in the Upper Tisza region from 1745. The painted motifs of its square-shaped cassettes preserve Renaissance traditions.
The current pulpit has been installed almost exactly in its medieval position. Its bricked breast-wall is decorated with geometric mortar panels. The “crown” of the pulpit is far more simple and lower in position, compared to the baroque relics of the churches in the surroundings. (It is a sound reflector rather than a crown.) It was created in 1840, in Classicist style. On its ceiling, above the head of the pastor, the dove of the Holy Spirit levitates. The gallery and the pews were created in the 18th century. It is worth walking up and adoring the 200-year-old oak pews.
References:Monte d"Accoddi is a Neolithic archaeological site in northern Sardinia, located in the territory of Sassari. The site consists of a massive raised stone platform thought to have been an altar. It was constructed by the Ozieri culture or earlier, with the oldest parts dated to around 4,000–3,650 BC.
The site was discovered in 1954 in a field owned by the Segni family. No chambers or entrances to the mound have been found, leading to the presumption it was an altar, a temple or a step pyramid. It may have also served an observational function, as its square plan is coordinated with the cardinal points of the compass.
The initial Ozieri structure was abandoned or destroyed around 3000 BC, with traces of fire found in the archeological evidence. Around 2800 BC the remains of the original structure were completely covered with a layered mixture of earth and stone, and large blocks of limestone were then applied to establish a second platform, truncated by a step pyramid (36 m × 29 m, about 10 m in height), accessible by means of a second ramp, 42 m long, built over the older one. This second temple resembles contemporary Mesopotamian ziggurats, and is attributed to the Abealzu-Filigosa culture.
Archeological excavations from the chalcolithic Abealzu-Filigosa layers indicate the Monte d"Accoddi was used for animal sacrifice, with the remains of sheep, cattle, and swine recovered in near equal proportions. It is among the earliest known sacrificial sites in Western Europe.
The site appears to have been abandoned again around 1800 BC, at the onset of the Nuragic age.
The monument was partially reconstructed during the 1980s. It is open to the public and accessible by the old route of SS131 highway, near the hamlet of Ottava. It is 14,9 km from Sassari and 45 km from Alghero. There is no public transportation to the site. The opening times vary throughout the year.