During the Reformation, the Catholic church in Jibou, built in the 13th century, was taken over by Calvinist believers. In 1658, the church was burned down by the Tatars, and in 1705 by the Lobonts. A gravestone in the wall of the bell tower commemorates two victims of the Turkish invasion: a mother and her child had sought refuge in the church tower. She threw herself and her child from there to avoid falling into the Turks' hands.
The Reformed Church (Biserica Reformată) received its present form in 1749, financed by a donation from István Wesselényi and his wife, as the inscription with two coats of arms above the entrance attests. The pulpit, the only alabaster pulpit in the world, the prince's table, and the coffered ceiling were also made in 1749. A memorial plaque in the church bearing the family coat of arms commemorates the Wesselényi family, as does the statue of Miklós Wesselényi in the churchyard, which was unveiled in 2004.
Translated by Google •
In the know? Log-in to add a tip for other adventurers!