Csaroda Church

The church at Csaroda is a thirteenth-century brick building of a single small nave and a square tower, and its interior is a layering of two traditions on the same walls. Medieval frescoes uncovered from under plaster show apostles with faces so mild that they are known locally as the smiling saints, painted in a provincial Byzantine-influenced manner. Around and over them, after the village turned Protestant, the walls were whitewashed and then painted with red and black folk flower motifs in the eighteenth century, so the two schemes now share the room without either being removed. The wooden ceiling, the gallery and the painted pews complete it. It is a small building and it survives largely intact.

What you actually see

• The smiling saints - medieval frescoes with unusually mild faces.
• Folk flower painting - red and black motifs over the whitewash.
• Two schemes on one wall - medieval and Protestant layers side by side.
• The painted wooden ceiling and pews - the village interior kept complete.

When to go

April to October. One hour. The church may be locked; the key is held in the village and access is arranged locally. Services take precedence.

Honest expectations

It is one very small room and the visit is brief. Access outside summer often requires finding the keyholder. The interior is dim and photography is difficult. The Bereg region is remote with few services.

Nearby

Turistvandi is south; the Ukrainian border lies east.