Special events related to the Reformed Church in Turda-Veche
It was probably rebuilt in 1635 with the support of Prince Rákóczi György I. The Reformed religion was brought to the town by the newly arrived Shagauks. In view of the growing number of believers Prince Rákóczi donated the church to the Reformed. Between 1659 and 1661 the Turks burned the town twice and in 1706 Tiege’s soldiers destroyed the church. For 100 years the church functioned with a plank ceiling. In the 17th century the sanctuary was demolished, traces of the walls can still be seen on the outside of the building today. During the renovation works in 1805 the church was given a Baroque interior.
The nave of the church had three entrances. The south doorway is the simplest and the east and north portals are decorated. Inside the church we enter through the door in the east wall. The organ was built in 1812, and was painted in 1822 by Maurice Auguste Dupont, but the original painting is no longer visible. The instrument broke down in World War II. The pulpit was built in 1824 by the Cluj sculptor Csűrös Antal. The present tower was built between 1904 and 1906 on the site of the tower that collapsed in 1862. The 63 m high building contains a bell cast in 1906. Also in 1906 the new clock was installed in place of the old 18th-century clock, which was destroyed when the tower collapsed.
Legends about the church
The builders of Mrs Rabson, Firtos and Tartod, were brother and sister, who every evening lit the candles at the same time, although they lived in different cities at great distances.
As the legend goes, Mrs Rabson built her fortress near Praid with magic: a magic rooster and cat carried the stone up into the fortress. And, as the legend goes, Mrs Rabson was the queen of the fairies with a very cunning mind. She was even able to trick the devil, to whom, for a magic way, she promised a mountain of gold and a valley of silver. On this magical way, Mrs Rabson travelled so fast that when the bells began to ring in the church of Turda, she was still in the castle, and by the time they stopped ringing the entrance bells, she was already in the church of Turda.
Once, her coachman dropped his hat and wanted to come down to pick it up, but Mrs Rabson said, “Your coming down is pointless, because your hat is already at least five hours away.”
The devil kept asking for his promised pay for the magical journey, but Mrs Rabson kept pre-arranging the days’ pay. She spoke well and good of him, just so she wouldn’t have to pay him. But in the end the dragon lost patience. Mrs Rabson had no other way, so she bent her fingers and put a gold on them, and in the palm of her other hand she put a silver, and said to the devil, “Behold, here you have the mountain of gold and the valley of silver.” The tricked devil left Mrs Rabson’s fortress and destroyed the magic road he had built, the ruins of which are there to this day.