Day of Reformed Unity in Nagyenyed and Gyulafehérvár

A series of events linked to the Hungarian Reformed Unity Day has started in Nagyenyed and Gyulafehérvár. In addition to Hungarian Reformed church leaders and members from the Carpathian Basin and abroad, the celebrations, organised between 19 and 21 May, will be attended by Katalin Novák, President of Hungary and member of the Reformed Church in Hungary.

A conference marked the beginning of a series of events linked to the Day of Hungarian Reformed Unity. After two years of absence due to the pandemic, the event takes place in Gyulafehérvár (Alba Iulia) and Nagyenyed (Aiud) where members of the General Convent and the Hungarian reformed community meet in person.

Christ is the future, we follow him together - was the motto of the Constituting Synod on 22 May 2009. On that day, the constitutional unity of the Hungarian Reformed Churches of the Carpathian Basin was proclaimed. Since then, every year the Reformed community has celebrated its unity. This year, the Transylvanian Reformed Church District is hosting the Day of Hungarian Reformed Unity. The event takes place on 20-21 May in Gyulafehérvár and Nagyenyed. A series of events and festive worship services will be organised during the festival for visitors from all over the Carpathian Basin.

A conference on the historical role of Reformed colleges and schools marked the beginning of the event. The conference is organised for the seventh time by the Department of Church History of the Theological Institute in Kolozsvár (Cluj). Public exhibition openings await visitors today and tomorrow.

Renovated and newly built churches have been inaugurated during festive church services in ten congregations early this afternoon. Ten reformed Bishops arrived from all corners of the Carpathian Basin to preach the Gospel in those congregations which welcomed representatives of 65 Reformed Presbyteries. The Transylvanian Reformed Church District has previously published a series of videos of the ten Reformed churches, which can be viewed on the church district's Facebook page.

Egyháztörténeti konferencia Nagyenyeden, egységnap2022, Kiss Gábor fotója

Fotó: Kiss Gábor

Click here to visit our photo gallery of the first day of the event.

Among many other events, the highlight of the festival will be the worship service on Saturday 21 May at noon in Gyulafehérvár. This will be preceded by the unveiling of the statue of Gábor Bethlen, Reformed (Calvinist) Prince of Transylvania (1580—1629), founder of the educational system in the region.

Collegium Academicum

On 23 May 1622, the Diet of Kolozsvár (Cluj) approved the foundation of the Collegium Academicum. Prince Gábor Bethlen invited foreign scholars to lecture at the educational institution he had established in Gyulafehérvár (Alba Iulia). The academy had three faculties: theology, philosophy and philology. In 1658, the Ottoman army sacked the seat of the prince and the students fled to Kolozsvár. Therefore, in 1662, by decree of Mihály Apafi, the academy was transferred to Nagyenyed (Aiud), where it has been operating ever since, under the name of Nagyenyed Reformed College.