Church of the Holy Name of Mary (Szűz Mária Neve-templom), Szigliget

Church of the Virgin Mary
Szigliget has been inhabited since prehistoric times. The beautiful countryside was settled during the conquest by the Cal and Lad tribes. In the 11th and 12th centuries, the Chapter of Veszprém, the Abbey of Pannonhalma and the royal courts had estates here. In 1262, after the Tatar invasion, the Abbot of Pannonhalma, Favus, began building the castle, which still today commemorates the glorious and sometimes painful events of our history.The first ecclesiastical monument in the village is the Avasi church ruins, which are located in the south-eastern part of the village. The first written mention of Szigliget comes from the year 1121 and already mentions the parish church of All Saints. The tower of Avasi was built by builders of the Atyus clan, as were the churches in Zanka, Felsőörs and Egregy. The name of the first pastor, called István, has also been preserved. The octagonal tower on a rectangular base is connected to a southeast-southwest oriented nave to which the sanctuary, sacristy and bell tower are attached. Since the church does not face east and the nave and wall of the triumphal arch are of Romanesque herringbone construction, it is likely that the church was built on the foundations of an existing Roman building. A few fragments of frescoes were discovered on the inner walls of the church in the last century. There are unexcavated graves in the vicinity of the church ruins.
Tordemicre. In 1927, pastor Gyula Debreczenyi finally managed to organize a chaplain's position. At that time there were three missions in the church. The chaplaincy functioned until 1967.The first priestly ordination took place in Szigliget in 1926. The electrification of the church was completed in 1940 and financed by Mrs. Pál Esterházy. In 1945, the eager parishioners were only able to bring a few items from the Esterházy Palace chapel to the church. The painting of the last supper probably comes from the castle. In September 1949, the tower and its roof were fully repaired. At that time our church also received a new tower cross. After several repairs, the organ needed constant maintenance, so in 2017 the congregation bought a new digital organ. It has 2 manuals and 32 registers.