Catholic Church Ečka

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The Catholic Church in Etschka
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The Catholic Church Ečka is the church building of the Roman Catholic parish in Ečka , a district of Zrenjanin in the Serbian Banat in Vojvodina .

history

Foundation of the parish and construction of churches

The parish was founded in 1793 by the eldest son of the landlord Lukacs Lazar, Johann Lazar (1757-1809). After the immigration of Catholic Bulgarians, the community expanded very quickly and the foundation stone for the first church was laid just one year after the church was founded. Four years later (1798) a rectory was also built.

The first church was a simple mud building with a thatched roof, it stood in the same place as the current parish church . Johann Chrysosthomus Gubanoczy was the first pastor to look after the community from 1793 to 1797. He was succeeded by Michael Jancso, who worked in Etscka until 1799. The first permanent local pastor was Josef Nagy, who headed the community for 26 years (1799 to 1825). During his tenure, a large number of Catholic Germans also settled there. In 1810, the newly founded parishes of Zsigmondfalva (Siegmundfeld) and Lukatschfalva were incorporated into the Etschka parish. A year later, in 1811, Agoston (August) Lazar (1768–1833) had the church expanded and a brick bell tower built at the same time , the roof of which was covered with shingles .

After Josef Nagy's death in 1825, Anton Millassin became pastor for the next 11 years. Two years after his death on April 9, 1836, a great fire raged in the village, which destroyed 60 houses to the ground. The Catholic Church also fell victim to the fire. Thanks to the active work of Pastor Heinrich Kümmer (1834–1851) and all the faithful, all the pictures and the liturgical vessels were saved. In the same year, two bells damaged by fire were cast into one large bell and this was transferred to the church that was being rebuilt.

The restoration of the church was expensive, so a new roof structure was built and covered with shingles. The church services were held for 28 years in the only partially restored church. The pastor at this time was Karl Krist (1851 to 1874). In 1862 General Sigismund Lazar (1801-1870) founded a new church. An architect by the name of Kansky was entrusted with the designs, and his design was based on the style of the Italian Quattrocento . The construction work was carried out by the Betschkerek entrepreneur Stevan Djordjewitsch and his workers. The new building was very large, so the foundations were built around the old church and then built on top of them. The old church remained in the center of the construction site during the entire construction period and the services were held there. In August 1864 the last mass took place in the old church. It was then torn down and the rubble carried through the doors of the completed new church.

The solemn inauguration of the new church and the bells was celebrated by the Csanád bishop Sándor Bonnaz on September 18, 1864. The church was consecrated to the patron saint John the Baptist . During this festive service, the bishop also gave the sacrament of Confirmation. Before that General Lazar was ceremonially honored with the order of St. George, with which Pope Pius IX. had excellent. The general's wife, Viktorina Lazar (1841–1895) also worked as a donor, she gave the community a precious canopy , which she had decorated with valuable embroidery by hand.

In 1868, on the occasion of the birth of Marianne Lazar (1867-1893), a high cross with a stone foundation was erected in front of the main entrance to the church.

In addition to the bell, twelve pictures, works by a Flemish painter from the 17th century, have been transferred to the new church. These pictures represented: The image of Christ, The Holy Family, The Sermon on the Mount with the Eight Beatitudes, St. Theresa, Descent from the Cross, The Birth of Christ, an image of the Mother of God, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Trinity, St. Joseph and Christ on the cross. The 14 Stations of the Cross from the old church were also installed in the new church .

The Dutch painter Adolf van der Venne (1828–1911) lived in Etschka between 1862 and 1864 and during this time he painted three large pictures, The Baptism of Christ , Judith (Viktorine Lazar served as a model here) and St. Elisabeth of Hungary , modeled on the mother of General Lazar, Elisabeth Edelsbacher. (It was attached to the side wall in front of the confessional. She was depicted as a benefactor who handed bread to a beggar.)

After Karl Krist's death in 1874, Johann Weitersheim took over the parish until 1897. Karl Neurohr was the assistant priest. During the activity of these priests, the Etschka community celebrated on l. August 1893 their 100th anniversary. On this occasion, the provost-dean of Werschetz Franz Henny celebrated Holy Mass. The local teacher Josef Kirchner played the new organ. During the first 100 years of the parish's existence, 14,369 newborns were baptized, 3,151 marriages were concluded and 10,225 believers were buried.

Second century

Two years after the 100th anniversary, the Bishop of Csanád Alexander von Dessewfy visited the parish of Etschka. Adalberg Kögl took over the parish of Etschka in 1897. During this time (1907) Count Felix Harnoncourt had enabled the completion of the work on the church facade and at the same time the fencing of the church square. After the death of the building contractor Stevan Djordjewitsch, completion was postponed for a full 42 years. Of the higher ecclesiastical dignitaries, the parish was visited in 1910 by the Timisoara Bishop Johann Csernoch and on May 12, 1912 by the Csanad Bishop Julius Glattfelder . In 1911 a candle burned the left corner of the main altar picture, the baptism of Christ. In the same year this picture was restored by Stevan Alexić on behalf of Felix Harnoncourt.

During the First World War , three bells had to be fetched from the tower on November 11, 1916 and made available to the military commissariat for war purposes. Towards the end of the war in 1917, the parish Ludwig Griffel took over. He stayed in this office until 1944. Important events from this time were the visit of Archbishop Rafael Rodić , who visited the church on the way to Groß-Betschkerek in 1929 and returned the next day at the request of the pastor of Etschka Donate company blessings. Pastor Ludwig Griffel and the cantor Stefan Klein, who was cantor at this church for 60 years, received this high church dignitary .

The latest time

After the end of the Second World War , the number of Catholics in Ečka decreased rapidly. As a result of the war, part of the church's property and documentation were lost. Of the twelve paintings by the unknown Flemish painter, only four have survived in the church: The Holy Family , St. Anthony , Descent from the Cross and The Sermon on the Mount on the Eight Beatitudes . All of these images were listed as a National Monument in 1965 .

Today the parish in Ečka consists of around 50 believers. Muzlja priests have held services since 1944. The last renovations in the church took place in 1927.

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Web links

Commons : Catholic Church Ečka  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 45 ° 19 '14.7 "  N , 20 ° 26' 2.6"  E