46th Day - August 23: Esztergom - Luther Rose shines on the altar cross

In the morning, Pastor Matyas had some time in Tata and we drove to the neighboring city of Tatabaya. Due to the intense rain during the night, the usually beautiful view over the city was covered in clouds. Afterwards, we went to the small Lutheran church in Tatabaya. Every visitor is greeted with the inscription 'Evangelikus Templom'. Until now, I thought there was a linguistic connection to the word temple as a place of worship. But in Hungarian, church simply means Templom. Perhaps this word clearly shows that Hungarian contains the most words from the so-called European root language. Also very beautiful to see is the wooden Bible in front of the entrance door, which was set up for the Reformation anniversary in 2017 and contains Martin Luther's four most important theological principles: 'Sola fide, sola scriptura, solus Christus, sola gratia' - By faith alone, by Scripture alone, through Christ alone, by grace alone! These four principles summarize Luther's theology well. Then we drove back to Tata and I had to say goodbye, because the historically most important and oldest city in Hungary - Esztergom - was my actual destination for the day. Pastor Matyas arranged for me to meet the curator of the Evangelical Church community in Esztergom.

On the way there, I had to use a busy highway before being able to use a bike path. Shortly after 4 p.m., I arrived in the center of Esztergom. Before meeting the curator, I visited the most important Catholic church in Hungary, the Basilica of Esztergom. The historic Kingdom of Hungary was founded here in the year 1000 by the coronation of Stephen I. Therefore, there is a historical monument next to the church depicting the coronation. This is more or less part of the 'mandatory program' when visiting Hungary.

At around 6 p.m., I met the curator in front of the small Lutheran town church in Esztergom, as the responsible pastor was still on a business trip. Apparently, I had chosen the right time to visit the church, as a ray of sunshine projected a beautiful image of the typical Luther Rose through the colored stained glass window directly onto the cross above the altar. Perhaps this is also a sign from God, I thought. The curator told me that the community consists of only around 130 members. On average, 30 people attend the Sunday service. Again, a much better average than with us. For the children, there is always the so-called 'Sunday School' in the community room, as the children's service is called. Since communication was only possible through my translation device, I couldn't go into detail with my questions.

Afterwards, we drove to a beautiful viewpoint above the city with a view of the Basilica and had something to eat. Before the meal, he said a grace and crossed himself. I was surprised by the cross before the meal. This is how he lives his Lutheran faith in Hungary. After returning, I was allowed to stay overnight in a small room in his private house.